The Altered Rotation
by TsukiyoTenshi
Summary: This is MY version of the Pandora Hearts anime. What would've happened if things went differently for Oz in the Abyss? The final chapter, "Epilogue: A Second Chance" up! COMPLETE!
1. Prologue: A Prophecy

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

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_It is said that when the awaited one ascends upon the Promised Land, the bell, which will destroy the silence, will sound._

"The time has come."

"The path will be opened and the Chosen shall be punished for his sins!"

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_._

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	2. Retrace 1: The Silence is Broken

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

Alright just to give a little heads up on the story, from what I know, it takes place in France and this is a rewriting of the anime in my way, seeing as the entire manga hasn't come out, nor have I read. I'll have actual French towns and such probably in my story, but I might also make up cities and such, just like Sablier is a made up town.

Now, I'm going to start this off the way it did in the anime, I might change it a bit throughout the chapter, but I thought I should give a tiny warning.

So, I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~The Silence is Broken~Oo**

"Young Master Oz!" a voice called.

"Has anyone seen the Young Master?" "Where is the Young Master?" Young Master Oz?" several voices shouted as numerous maids ran frantically through the halls of the estate.

One woman wearing a black-coloured long-sleeved high-collared dress with glasses and her chocolate hair up in a bun with loose strands framing her face hurried through the halls and barged into a room without knocking, two maids following her.

Inside the room was a young boy about the age of fourteen sitting in one of the armchairs.

_**Pandora~Hearts**  
_

He had shoulder-length wavy, black hair and gold eyes. He had fair skin and wore a pair of cerulean knee-length shorts, a sailor-style long-sleeved shirt that had a deep V-neck; he wore a high collared shirt beneath the sailor shirt. He wore a pair of white socks that went about three inches above his ankle and a pair of brown penny loafers.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Gilbert!" the woman called to the boy, now known as Gilbert, hurrying over to him.

"Yes, Mrs. Kate?" Gilbert said, looking up at the woman that was now known as Mrs. Kate.

"You're the servant that's always with the Young Master, so you should know," Mrs. Kate began, before grabbing Gilbert's shoulders and an ominous look appeared on her face, "Gilbert. Where's Young Master Oz hiding?"

"I d-don't know what h-happened to the Young Master," Gilbert stuttered out.

"It's almost time for the banquet and I can't find him!" Mrs. Kate exclaimed before beginning to panic, "Don't tell me he decided to boycott it!"

"W-Well, I haven't seen him since lunch and—," Gilbert began only to be cut off by Mrs. Kate.

"Speaking of which," Mrs. Kate said with a suspiciously sweet look on her face, "I've heard from the Young Master that you're terrified of cats!" Mrs. Kate held out a white feline to Gilbert, at which said boy began cowering at the sight of it.

"H-He said he w-was going t-to the lake w-with Lady A-Ada!" Gilbert stuttered out.

"To the lake, is he?" Mrs. Kate said, "I'm going to get you now, Young Master!" She and the other two maids rushed out the doors.

The cat padded over to the wardrobe that stood at the side wall and started to scratch at the doors.

"Young Master," Gilbert said sullenly, "Please come out now and stop playing around."

"Good work, Gilbert!" a boy with a young girl on his lap complimented.

* * *

The young girl looked to be about four or five years of age. She had long mid-thigh-length gold hair long strips of hair framing her face from both sides and a ribbon attached to the back of her head where her half of her hair was gathered. She had emerald-coloured eyes.

She wore a pink long-sleeved dress that stopped just after her calves. She wore a pair of mid-calf-length lace-up heeled-boots. A shawl was wrapped around her shoulders.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The young boy looked to be fifteen years of age. He had gold hair like the girl's, but his was shorter, just above his shoulders and a tad messier. He, too, had emerald-coloured eyes.

He wore a pair of beige knee-length shorts that were folded once or twice at the bottom to make it the length it presently was. He wore a white collared shirt; the collar unfolded, a brown waistcoat and a green long-sleeved coat over that. A red scarf was around his neck with a scarf-ring attached to it. He wore a pair of black socks that went to just below the tops of his calves and a pair of brown mid-calf-length lace-up boots.

* * *

"Aaah!" Gilbert cried out slumping to the floor. "I'm going to get scolded by Mrs. Kate!"

" Heh heh! That's too bad, Gilbert," the young boy said before turning to the little girl beside him, "Come one, Ada, let's go to the chapel next!" The young boy took Ada's hand and ran out of the room, the cat in Ada's arms.

Looking up, to already see them running out of the room, Gilbert got up and called out as he ran after them, "Wait! Young Master Oz!"

"Don't yell so loud, Gil," the boy now known as Oz chided, "Mrs. Kate'll hear you."

"Sorry!" Gilbert said a little quieter.

* * *

"They did a real good job on making everything look like it was new," Gilbert commented, "After all, they did it for you, Young Master."

"That's a literal exaggeration!" Oz retorted, holding Ada's hand and guiding her towards the chapel.

The trio went inside to see beautiful stained-glass windows, many pew where people would sit, and at the top of a large staircase, an old clock that looked new with its hands set on 11.59 and stuck there.

"It's so pretty!" Ada exclaimed.

Oz smiled down at his little sister.

"This is where the ceremony will take place tonight, isn't it?" Gilbert asked as they walked down the aisle to stop in front of the staircase.

Gilbert was speaking again, but Oz didn't hear him, he tuned both him and everything else around him out as he looked at the clock.

An image of a city covered in darkness came to his mind as he looked at the clock. "That's the Silent Clock Tower," Oz stated quietly.

'_The same clock tower that has been *asleep* for nearly a century now. It is said that when the awaited one ascends on the Promised Land, the sound of the bell, which destroys the silence, will sound.'_ The golden-haired boy thought, looking up at the clock tower. _'But why do I feel as though I've a connection to it? And why did I see a city covered in darkness? There's something going on, and I have a feeling that something big will happen; tonight.'_

Oz drew himself out of his thoughts to see Gilbert and Ada looking at him in concern.

"Young Master," Gilbert began concernedly, "Are you alright? Should we get you back to the Estate?"

Ada tugged on Oz's pants and he looked down at her to see worried emerald eyes looking up at him. "Are you okay, Onii-chan?" she asked looking at him to see if anything was wrong.

"I'm fine, Ada, Gilbert," Oz chuckled.

Both the black-haired boy and gold-haired girl sighed in relief and began laughing along with Oz.

The trio was so caught up in their laughter, that they didn't notice a figure coming up behind them.

But when they _did_ feel someone behind them, it was too late, because that person had already grabbed Oz and Gilbert by the backs of their collars and lifted them up about three feet into the air.

"So this is where you three've been hiding!" The figure exclaimed. "Why do you always put through all this trouble?"

"Uncle Oscar!" Oz exclaimed, looking up at the man, now identified as his Uncle.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Oscar Vessalius had gold hair down to mid-back and tied at the back of his head with a hair-tie. He, like Oz and Ada, also had emerald-coloured eyes. He also had a small, trimmed beard along his chin.

He wore a pair of black slacks, a loose, white dress shirt with a few of the buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He also wore a pair of black loafers and a pair of half-rim glasses perched on his nose. Both of his ears were pierced and two rubies hung down from his lobes only about three centimeters.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Gah! You shouldn't worry Mrs. Kate the way you've been," Oscar said, sitting on the windowsill of his room, one leg up on the windowsill, while the other was hanging down lazily, a lit cigarette between his fingers.

"But she's fussing around even more than usual!" Oz whined. "And I couldn't miss this chance to mess with her a bit!"

"You know perfectly well _why_ she's fussing more than she normally would," Oscar reminded, blowing out a thin wisp of smoke, "When it comes to the Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Oz Vessalius, there's a lot to fuss about. You're finally going to become, at least in a sense, a man."

"I know," Oz said, slumping in his seat, "But it's such a bother!"

"The Vessalius Dukedom is one of the four Archduke families," Oscar chuckled, "and besides, what you're going through is just what any teenage aristocrat of your age goes through."

"I know," Oz said grumpily before his personality brightened, "But I'm glad that we came here to do the Ceremony! I may've only been here for two days, but there's still so much to see!"

"It truly is a beautiful castle," Oscar said, looking out at the scenery.

"Oscar-sama! Oscar-sama!" came Mrs. Kate's voice as she pounded on the door.

"Uncle, can I go and explore just a little more?" Oz pleaded.

"Absolutely not!" Gilbert protested, "The exploration was only to go until three!"

"Oh, Oz," Oscar said as he brought out a brown case, "This just came today."

"Thank you, Uncle Oscar!" Oz said as he made his way to the window.

"But Young Master!" Gilbert exclaimed.

"Dinah!" Oz snapped his fingers.

The cat in Ada's arms meowed menacingly as she leapt onto the top of Gilbert's head and held on for her life as he kept jumping around in panic.

"Ahhh!" Gilbert cried out, "Get her off! Please get her off!"

"Hey now, don't bully Gil so much," Oscar said, watching the amusing spectacle.

"Just be back before the Ceremony and don't fool around during it either, alright Oz?" Oscar said as the trio climbed out of his window.

"Oscar-sama!" came Mrs. Kate's voice once again.

"Yes, yes, I coming, Mrs. Kate, sorry for making you wait," Oscar said going over to the door.

* * *

"Where are we going, Young Master?" Gilbert asked, as the trio ran through the courtyard.

"Somewhere where we won't be found," Oz said, "In other words—"

"It's secret!" Ada interjected happily.

"That's right," Oz said, stopping to ruffle his sister's hair.

"Onii-chan," Ada said, gaining both boys' attention, "What the 'Abyss'?"

Oz looked startled at the question, but thought nothing of it. "The Abyss is a place where bad people go. Like a prison. It's said that when you're dragged down into it, you can never return!"

"Ah! Scary!" Ada exclaimed, hiding behind Gilbert, "Gil, is it the same place we were looking at in the books?"

"Yes," Gilbert answered, "It's a place where those who've committed heinous crimes go to when dragged down by and emissary. At least that's how the legend goes."

"Come on!" Oz called, causing Ada and Gilbert to look up at him. "This way!"

The trio arrived in a courtyard different from the one they'd run across earlier.

Ada leaned over to see beyond the short wall-like railing to see a lush landscape full of different hues of green and blues with an occasional grey or so in the mix.

"It's so pretty!" Ada exclaimed, looking out at the beautiful scenery.

"Indeed," Gilbert agreed as he, too, looked on at the landscape.

"Here," Oz said suddenly, throwing the black-haired boy an article of clothing.

"What is this?" Gilbert asked. "It looks like it'd be too small for the Young Master."

"Idiot, it's for you," Oz said, calmly.

"What," Gilbert said, not entirely paying attention to what Oz was saying before realizing what his Master had just said, "WHAT?"

"It was decided that you'd be participating in the ceremony tonight," Oz said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"I've heard nothing of the sort!" Gilbert exclaimed.

"Of course not," Oz said, "You wouldn't have accepted it if we'd told you, so I had Uncle tailor this for you since my clothes are a little too big for you."

The black-haired boy just stood there with the piece of clothing in his arms, dumbstruck.

"Then again," Oz said, "It's always amusing to see you when you're completely speechless."

Gilbert backed away slowly from his slightly scary Master before slumping to the ground.

"It suits you well, though, Gil," Ada said, patting the black-haired boy's back comfortingly.

"B-But I can't do this, Young Master!" Gilbert protested, standing up.

"Why not?" Oz asked, wanting to know Gilbert's reason, "All you need to do at the Ceremony is to just put the robe over my shoulders."

"I'm just a servant!" Gilbert exclaimed. "I'm not qualified for doing something like that!"

"Gil," Oz said softly, "I want you to go to the Ceremony as my friend, not my servant, nor a servant of the Vessalius Household, just a friend."

"That's even worse!" Gilbert cried out.

"How is that?" Oz asked cautiously.

"If any of the other aristocrats see you with an orphan like me, they'll insult you and talk about you!" Gilbert all but shouted. "And not in a good way, either!" he added.

"I don't care about that, Gil," Oz said quietly.

"I'll be scolded by the Master!" Gilbert exclaimed.

"Even though it's his son's Coming-of-Age Ceremony, he didn't come home," Oz stated quietly, "He won't scold you for any reason while I'm around."

There was silence.

Oz stared up at the large magnolia tree with an unreadable expression on his face.

That was when the golden-haired boy heard a strange tune. A haunting tune that he'd felt he'd heard, and yet, had never heard it at all.

Taking off in the direction of the sound, Oz ignored the calls of "Young Master!" from Gil as the black-haired boy ran behind Oz with his younger sister following them.

As he came closer and closer to the sound, Oz received another image in his mind of a city shrouded in darkness.

'_This tune, where is it coming from?'_ Oz thought stopping a few feet from the Magnolia tree, before the stones underneath his feet gave way and he collapsed into the large hole.

"Young Master!" Gilbert shouted running over to him, only to fall into the hole, himself.

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" Ada called worriedly.

"Ow…Gil, you still alive?" Oz asked as both he and the black-haired boy sat up in an upright position.

"Somehow," Gilbert commented, rubbing his head.

The two boys looked up and saw what looked like a grave leaning against a tree.

The grave was basically a stone slab with a golden Celtic cross on it.

Oz looked up and saw that the tree they were looking at down here was actually the bottom half of the tree they saw up above.

"What is this place?" Oz asked.

"Could it be a cemetery?" Gilbert suggested.

"Yes and no," Oz replied. "It could have been a cemetery, but there's only one grave. Apparently, whoever's grave this is, must have been someone important. No one unless very well respected, can get a solid gold monument on a gravestone."

"But who does the grave belong to?" Gilbert asked stepping closer to it, "It doesn't have a name or anything on it."

Before Oz could reply, a glint of soft gold caught his eye. He turned to see a small pocket-watch, no bigger than the palm of his hand, the chain of it wrapped around one of the arms of the cross.

"I've found a name," Gilbert informed, "But it's too faded for me to read it. It seems to be pretty old."

Oz didn't say anything; instead, he walked up to the grave and went to pick up the watch.

Upon touching it, however, he received another image of a city shrouded in black.

"Young Master?" Gilbert asked cautiously.

As though he was in a trance, Oz turned a small knob on the watch, only to hear to very same tune he'd heard before.

'_I've heard this melody, I'm sure of it, but where? And who does this watch belong to?' _Oz thought.

'_**I will kill you!' **_came a voice _**'I'll never forgive you! Never! Never!'**_

Oz felt as though someone was trying to strangle him, but there was no one with him besides Gilbert. Unseen, by anyone, even himself, bruises in the shape of delicate fingers appeared on Oz's neck.

"Young Master!" Gilbert shouted, shaking the golden-haired boy a bit.

"What?" Oz asked slowly, still shaking himself out of the trance he'd been in.

"Your Ceremony will start in a while, you need to go," Gilbert said dragging the 15-year-old up a staircase back to where they were above.

* * *

Oz slipped into the required clothing for his ceremony that night as he thought about the strange events that occurred.

'_That city, the pocket watch, and that voice; maybe they're connected in some way? But who would want to kill me? Especially if I've never met that person?' _He thought.

"Oz," Oscar called as he stepped into his nephew's room, "It's time for you to meet one of the members of another Household."

"Right," Oz said, stepping out with his uncle.

They arrived in a room full of flower bouquets and a small tea set already filled with tea in four cups waiting on the coffee table.

A young girl about thirteen years age was sitting on the couch and stood upon seeing him.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

She had long waist-length strawberry-blonde hair tied back in a tight ponytail with a violet ribbon, two long strips of hair framing her face from both sides; and light-magenta-red eyes.

She wore a violet gown that had sleeves going to about five inches away from her wrist and a white high-collar that had a red ribbon tied around it in a bow in the front. Pink frills were around the bottom hem of her dress as well as around her waist, and on the skirt of her gown, where pink ribbons laid. A pink shawl-like fabric covered her shoulders, some of her back and a little of her front, stopping about three inches below her shoulders; it was underneath the white-collar fabric. Pink fabric also flowed from the ends of her violet sleeves with a large blue jewel on them. She wore a pair of white mid-calf-length socks and black shoes.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Oz, this Lady Sharon Rainsworth of the Rainsworth Dukedom," Oscar introduced.

"It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Oz said with a light bow from the waist.

"Likewise, Milord," Sharon said, falling into a small curtsy.

"I'll leave you two then," Oscar said opening the door, "I've got to get in place for the ceremony."

Oz gave a curt nod as his uncle left the room.

"Please take a seat," Oz said, gesturing towards the couch.

Sharon did so and sat down, taking one of the cups of tea waiting on the tray.

"I trust your ride here was well?" Oz asked, picking up his own cup of tea.

"Yes thank you," Sharon replied, "But we aren't staying long. I only came to offer my congratulations as well as my mother's."

"Thank you," Oz said calmly.

"Well, I must be off," Sharon said after a moment.

"Good night and congratulations," Sharon said, falling into another curtsy.

"Of course," Oz said, bowing slightly once more, "Have a safe trip."

And with that, Sharon left the room.

'_She knows something. They both do,'_ Oz thought. _'That and the fact that they looked like there was something is going on or will happen, doesn't exactly settle well with me.'_

* * *

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Gilbert said to himself as he put his hair in a small ponytail, two long strands falling down the sides of his face.

He wore a pair of white breeches tucked into a pair of black knee-length boots, a black shirt that had a high-collar stopping three inches below his chin, a black waistcoat, a long white coat that went to his knees and flared out at the waist that was buttoned from just below his collarbone to his waist with a folded collar, and a white scarf was tied around his neck and tucked into the inside of the coat with a diagonal square-shaped pin attached to the scarf; he also had a pair of white wrist-length gloves on his hands. The sleeves of the coat were slightly tight until the elbow where they loosened up and became wide turn-back cuffs.

"You look so nice!" a voice said from behind him.

Gilbert spun around to see a figure (which he could tell was female from the voice) wearing a maroon-coloured hooded cloak that practically showed none of her body nor features, as her face was shadowed by the hood.

"You're looking nervous," the woman commented mockingly, "why don't you let me help you with that!"

All went black for Gilbert.

* * *

Oz stood outside the chapel doors just as he was supposed to, in his traditional apparel.

He wore a pair of white breeches, black knee-length boots, a white coat like Gilbert, a pair of white-wrist-length gloves, a black shirt just like Gilbert's only with a tiny folded collar, and a white layered scarf was fastened around his neck with a golden ornament with wings.

"Onii-chan!" came a voice softly.

Oz turned to look at the source of the voice, only to see that it was his sister standing under an umbrella, Dinah in her arms.

"Ada!" Oz exclaimed softly.

"I wanted to wish you luck," Ada whispered.

"Thank you," Oz said, smiling softly, before whispering, "You might want to leave. If you're caught you'll be in trouble.

Ada giggled a bit before nodding and running off.

Oz sighed and took the pocket watch out of his pocket and flipped open the top, listening to the sweet tune pouring out of it.

'_It hasn't stopped playing,' _Oz commented mentally, _'Does this mean something?'_

Just then he heard his cue to enter the chapel.

"Now please applaud the one who will be undergoing this special ceremony," Oscar Vessalius's voice rang through the chapel, "Guide him towards this sacred place."

The doors opened and Oz walked in regally. Head up straight, back straight, too, eyes devoid of any emotion except determination.

He looked up towards the Silent Clock Tower and saw Gilbert there, dressed in the robes he'd given and holding a white robe in his arms.

'_Gil!' _Oz smiled mentally, as Gilbert smiled gently and gave a nod in acknowledgement.

He climbed up the stairs and knelt down on one knee before his uncle, one arm crossed over his chest.

* * *

"Can you control the black haired boy freely now, Zwei?" A figure garbed in a long maroon hooded robe-like cloak asked.

"Doldam has him securely under my control," another figure, dressed in the same garb, assured, "Seeing as he's an important part of opening The Way."

"Be careful that Doldam doesn't get out of control," a third figure dress the same said.

"Right," the second figure replied.

"In front of the ancient clock tower that stopped a hundred years ago," the third figure said, "The actor shall ascend the prophesized stage. So now let the countdown begin!"

* * *

"O, Light of Truth, illuminate thy path," Oscar began as he read from a book held in his left hand, his right hovering over Oz's head, "O, Wind of Truth, grant us thy intelligence. O, Holy Water, grant us thy remedy. In the name of Vessalius, allow the one before us, Oz Vessalius, to become of age."

And with that, Oscar close the small book, and removed his other hand, as he handed the book to one woman wearing a white-colored nun's habit, and took a sword from a case in the hands of another woman dressed the same.

Oscar held the sword out over Oz's left shoulder. "O, Baptismal Sword of the land that supports us, rid this young lad of the impurities that inhabit him. And grant him thy eternal blessing."

Oscar tapped the tip of the sword on both of Oz's shoulders right to left, as if he was knighting someone. He then, held the sword upright in front of his face. "Now the impurities hidden in thyself are gone."

Oscar placed the sword back into its case and stepped aside, "So now, please recite thy oath."

'_All I have left is the Oath and then this will all be over,' _Oz told himself before giving a mental shudder, _'What's wrong with me today? Why is it that I feel like something bad's going to happen?'_

He never saw the sinister smile that spread across his black-haired friend's lips.

The gold-haired boy knelt down in front of the Silent Clock Tower and placed his right hand on it as he began to say his oath. "Until the day that the fiery pound within me stops, I shall protect the name of Vessalius and its honor. I, now, to this land, my family, and friends, solemnly vow—"

The minute hand of the Silent Clock Tower suddenly, moved from its previous position at 11.59 to precisely midnight. The bell of the Clock Tower rung with a sound none had in over a hundred years.

"What…?" Oscar breathed in disbelief.

"T-This is…" Oz stuttered to himself, looking up at the clock tower.

* * *

"'When the chosen one ascends upon the holy place, the sound of the bell, which breaks the silence, will sound'," the third of the hooded figures said, "There's no doubt that the one in the prophecy, is him!"

* * *

Oz stood up from his knelt position, only to see that everyone was frozen, with expressions of disbelief and horror upon their faces.

'_What's going on?' _the golden-haired boy thought frantically, before realizing something, _'Was __this__ the bad thing I felt was going to happen? Did Lady Sharon know of this as well?'_

Suddenly, numerous figures clad in maroon hood-robes burst through the windows, surrounding the fifteen-year-old.

Seeing no way out, Oz never saw Gilbert coming up behind him, but realized when the black haired boy locked one arm around Oz's neck, while the other stabbed a dagger into his chest.

Red began blossoming from the place where he'd been stabbed before the dagger was taken out of his body.

Oz said nothing, just as his face betrayed nothing he was thinking on the inside. _'Why is Gil doing this? He's my friend, and usually, he's the one that's always not wanting to do anything to harm me in any way! But then again these people look, for lack of a better word, evil. Could it be that Gil's being controlled?'_

"The awaited one's arrival," one figure stated, "What must be done next is…One drop of blood from the dagger belonging to his friend that glows a bright red with his blood will find its way to the land."

A drop of Oz's blood dripped down from the dagger onto the floor, where a violet-coloured seal appeared on the ground underneath the gold-haired and black-haired boy.

"The time for judgment has come!" another figure exclaimed. "Open the way to the Abyss!"

"Your blood smells so good!" 'Gilbert' said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "I want to see more of it!"

Just then, one of the figures collapsed to the ground.

"What's wrong, Zwei?" one figure asked.

"Doldam is going out of control," the collapsed figure rasped.

Just then, as 'Gilbert' was about the plunge the dagger into Oz's body once more, a sword knocked the dagger away.

The violet seal on the floor began glowing as a slight twister of wind and violet light began.

The wind knocked the black-haired boy away from the golden-haired lad as the light blinded all.

When both the light and wind cleared away, there standing in front of Oz Vessalius was a man, holding a sword that had dried blood crusted upon it.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The man wore a pair of khaki-coloured breeches, a pair of black knee-high lace-up boots that had a little heel, a white slight high-collared shirt with a grey waistcoat, an olive-green coat that had gold trim and slightly tight sleeves until they loosened up at the elbows and got wider as the dipped into deep turn-over cuffs at his wrists, a pair of blood-crusted white wrist-length gloves, and a scarf was tied around his neck and stretched down to a bit below his collar bone that was held to the collar of his shirt with an amethyst pin.

He had clear skin, though it was marred with a few scratches and a few blood smudges, he had gold hair that was in a long plait down to mid-calf with his bangs falling across his face and side of his face as well. He had emerald eyes and wore an amethyst in the shape of a teardrop dangling from a four centimeter long chain in both ears.

All in all, he seemed to look like an older version of Oz himself.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Now, now," the man said in a happy-go-lucky tone, "Is there any need to attack the poor boy for something he doesn't even understand?"

Just then, one of the hood figures made a choking sound. "You were dead!" the figure sputtered.

"Dead?" the man asked innocently. "I can't think of any time I'm not."

The hooded figure just continued to sputter and mutter incoherently.

The man went next to Oz and knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There isn't much time," the man whispered into Oz's ear, "I can get the both of us out of here, but with the seal still activated, and the only place we would be headed would be the Abyss."

The man pulled back and looked straight into Oz's eyes, "Do you trust me?" he asked.

Oz looked into his eyes, and felt as though there was something familiar about him and from that, he deduced that he could and would trust him, so he nodded.

"Good," the man said with a small smile.

"Go ahead with your plans," the man said, "I won't stop you. Neither of us will."

Jumping at the chance to finish their task without resistance, one hooded figure stepped forward. He faced his palm towards the duo on the floor and the seal began glowing once more. A large black griffin erupted from the seal as many chains (not referring to the chains in the Abyss) grabbed onto both Oz and the mysterious man.

It was at that moment that Gilbert awoke. He looked around the see many hooded figures, and a man with the Young Master. "Young Master!" Gilbert called.

Both the man and Oz turned to see Gilbert awake.

Oz sent a smile at Gilbert, just as the man did, but Gilbert's reaction to the man wasn't exactly expected. He looked thunderstruck; as though he'd seen a ghost.

But before anymore could be said, a bright violet light erupted from the seal, dragging Oz and the man down into the Abyss; leaving Gilbert unconscious once again.

* * *

Oz looked around at where they were, only to see nothing but black and shades of grey. He heard a sloshing sound, to see that the ground was covered in water to just above his ankles.

"Is this the Abyss?" Oz asked the man in front of him.

"Yes," he answered, looking at Oz; observing him.

Oz began to process the fact that he was in the legendary 'Prison of Sinners', when he realized that he didn't know the older male's name.

"Who are you, by the way?" Oz asked.

The man smiled lightly and held out his hand. "My name is Jack…Jack Vessalius."

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	3. Retrace 2: Escape

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

Alright just to give a little heads up on the story, from what I know, it takes place in France and this is a rewriting of the anime in my way, seeing as the entire manga hasn't come out, nor have I read. I'll have actual French towns and such probably in my story, but I might also make up cities and such, just like Sablier is a made up town.

Now, I'm going to start this off the way it did in the anime, I might change it a bit throughout the chapter, but I thought I should give a tiny warning.

So, I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Escape~Oo**

"You remember what to do?" Jack asked Oz.

"For the last time, Jack, I remember!" Oz exclaimed exasperated, his voice considerably deeper than it was when he first entered the Abyss. "Geez! You fuss almost as much as Mrs. Kate back at home! I'm starting to wonder if the both of you knew each other or if you were related!"

"Yes, that's ni—" Jack began, only to realize just what Oz implied, "Hey! I'll have you know that I'm only acting like this because it's finally time to put our plan into action and I don't want anything to go wrong!"

"Just like Mrs. Kate. Definitely just like her," Oz muttered under his breath as he began to walk away.

"Remember to come—" Jack was about to say before being cut off by Oz.

"For the last time," Oz called back, "I KNOW!"

* * *

-Chapel of Legend-

(AN: I have no idea what the name of the chapel where Oz's Coming-of-Age Ceremony was held, so I just made up a name and I know it sounds corny, so just deal with it!)

"Ah, such a nice morning," a man commented, "The birds are singing, the sun is shining; quite the setting for a morning tea break, don't you think?"

"Tea time should be over, Break," Sharon commented walking over to the man, now known as Break, at the small tea table that had some sweets as well as tea set on it. "You're just too absentminded."

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Break had shoulder-length white hair, his fringe completely covering his left eye; there was another layer of hair that went to about mid-back underneath the shoulder-length top. His right eye was a deep-red colour. Skin, pale, but clear.

He wore a pair of black slacks, a violet dress shirt that wasn't tucked in, a dark black-violet ascot ties was around his neck untucked, and a pair of laced-up white boots that had a slight heel. He also wore a white coat that was hanging off of his shoulders, although his hands were in the too long sleeves; it was white with black lining and a slight portion of the back of the coat was black at the top, though no one could tell because of the way he wore it.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Isn't this lovely, though, Sharon-sama?" Break asked. "After all, linking the passages will take quite a bit of time."

"Would you like to come over and have a candy, Young Lord?" Break asked a lone figure sitting on one of the pews in the chapel, waving a wrapped lollipop in his hand.

"I'm fine," the male said gruffly.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The male had wavy black hair that went a little past his shoulders, clear skin, and golden eyes.

He wore a pair of black slacks with a gun holster on his left thigh, a white dress shirt that wasn't tucked in with the collar of it unfolded; a pale blue ascot tie of the same colour went from an inch below his collarbone to the middle of his chest. He wore a black trench coat that flared out at the waist and stretched down to mid-calf, the sleeves of the coat were loose, but fitting and from the elbow, it started to flare out a little bit, making the cuffs at the wrists to flare out a little deeper; the collar of the coat was unfolded and laid behind the unfolded collar of the shirt, about in inch taller in height and it also had the black belt-straps, tied in a bow behind his back. He wore a pair of white wrist-length gloves with gold designs on the back of his hand, a pair of black loafers, and a black akubra hat on his head. His right ear had a gold piercing around the cartilage.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"With your impulsiveness, you might fail in all the things you can accomplish, Raven" Break said, mouth full with a lollipop before spitting the stick out. "This assignment was conducted by the Rainsworth family themselves in the first place. That's a secret from the organization, so throw in some effort."

"It'll be fine," the lone figure, known as Raven said, "I won't fail." _'Not again'_

Sharon smiled at the man before turning to Break. "Now, shall we get started? That is, to save Lord Oz Vessalius with our own hands."

Raven looked up from the ground, a determined expression on his face.

* * *

-The Abyss-

"Alright, I think I've found her," Oz commented to himself, "But just to be sure…" he then took out the pocket watch, opened it up and wound the little knob, playing the sweet tune.

A young girl that looked to be the age of thirteen looked up from gazing around aimlessly at the familiar sound.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

She had along calf-length brown hair with two long, thin plaits off the sides, and she had light violet eyes.

She wore a pair of tight black short-shorts, a pair of white knee-length laced-up boots that had a bit of a two-inch heel, a white long-sleeved dress shirt that had an unfolded collar, and a pair of white wrist-length gloves. She also wore a long red and white trench coat that went to mid-calf; it had long sleeves that were tight at first, but became looser at the elbow and as it went to the wrists, the red sleeves became white deep turn-back cuffs that were lined with white lace. There was also a strip of white diamonds going down her sleeve. There was also a white diamond pattern on other parts of her coat as well as a large white bow resting underneath her collar bone to just above her naval.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The girl leapt up and floated towards where the tune was coming from only to see someone she'd never seen in the Abyss before.

"Oi," she called, gaining the stranger's attention, "Who the hell are you and where is that music coming from?"

The stranger smiled slightly, making her unknowingly flush, before saying, "My name is Oz Vessalius and the music you hear comes from my watch."

OZ gave a slight bow to her before standing up straight once more. "Now, I suppose I should get right to the point, right? Alright, from what I know, you want to go to the other realm to get your memories back, right?"

The girl started at that. _'How does __he__ know that?'_

"I have a proposition for you," Oz stated, "That is, if you choose to listen."

The girl mulled the thought over for a moment. _'He knows I want to go and get my memories. So in return for that, I can get him out of the Abyss If he wants me to, but other than that, what __could__ he want? I suppose I'll listen, but I won't agree unless there's something for me in the deal.'_

"All right, spit it out," the girl said.

"Oh!" Oz exclaimed. "That reminds me, I don't know your name. I only know you by your title, B-Rabbit."

"Alice," the girl said after a moment, "My name is Alice."

"All right, then, Alice," Oz said, "Here's my proposal. You want your memories and in order to do so, you need to get out of here. Whereas I just need to get out of here in general. If you'd like the both of us can form a contract, but _legally_."

Alice nodded as she listened, but was confused at the 'legally' part. "How the hell do you expect us to form a _legal contract_? When one binds themselves with a chain, sure they're welcome to use our abilities if they want, but at the price of a seal that'll drag the both of us back down here when the seal's complete."

"I know that," Oz replied, "But I know someone who can help us form a legal contract, so nothing will happen to us."

'_If we can get a legal contract, then we're both out of here and won't be dragged back down! But how do I know he's not lying?' _Alice thought.

"How do I know you're not lying?" Alice demanded.

Oz smiled at that. "Because the person that can help us, is someone from your memories."

That statement struck a chord within the brown-haired girl.

"Deal," was all Alice said before telling Oz to take them to his person he knew.

When Oz and Alice arrived at a small house-like room, Jack immediately came out to greet them.

"Well, it seems like you've been successful in convincing her, Oz," Jack commented.

"You had no faith, did you?" Oz asked, exasperatedly.

"Of course I did," Jack said, before turning to smile at Alice. "It's been quite a while, Alice."

At that moment, Alice knew that Oz had been telling the truth.

"Okay, you!" Alice said, pointing at Jack, who was surprised at her hostility. "The kid here said that you knew how to get us a legal…contract…why do you two look alike?"

Jack and Oz chuckled nervously, while rubbing the backs of their heads sheepishly. "Well, it's actually, 'cause I'm his reincarnation," Oz explained.

"Okay…" Alice trailed off before reverting back to her old personality. "Anyway, just get us a contract so that I can get out of this damned place!"

"Was she ever this hostile when you knew her?" Oz whispered into Jack's ear.

"Never," was all Jack could say looking at Alice as though he'd seen Oz wearing a tutu and dancing the cha-cha around the Abyss.

"Anyway, do you just want to get this over with?" Oz asked.

Jack snapped out of his shock and turned to Oz saying, "Alright, you and Alice stand next to one another."

Both did so and held hands when Jack told them to do so.

The gold-haired man chanted a bit and both Oz and Alice glowed a light violet. "Now seal the contract as you would have if you did made an illegal one," Jack stated.

Just when Oz was about to ask how she'd seal her contracts, Alice kissed him on the lips without hesitation. Oz's eyes widened and stiffened at first, but relaxed later on, though he never closed his eyes.

About a minute later, both separated, to see Jack looking a bit freaked out, for lack of a better word.

'_Alice would __never__ have acted like that before,' _Jack thought, _'This is quite the awkward change she's gone through.'_

"Well, the both of you have just made a legal contract, so you have the benefits of not being subjected to those of an illegal contract," Jack congratulated.

"Do want to get out of here, right now?" Oz asked his new Chain.

"What do you think, you idiot?" Alice retorted.

"Stay safe, then," Jack said to the both of them, "And Oz? I'll be popping in here and there to check up on things alright? And remember what we agreed on."

Oz nodded and thanked him for everything he'd done for him.

Alice transformed into her B-Rabbit form and let Oz climb up on her shoulder before summoning her scythe and blasting a pathway out of the Abyss.

(AN: Alice's B-Rabbit form looks just as it always had, so I'm not going to even both with describing it. If anyone wants to know, just get a picture up on Goggle Images, or just watch the bloody anime.)

* * *

-Chapel of Legend-

Raven, Sharon and Break were making their way to the staircase, when Break suddenly turned around and pulled Sharon into his arms.

"Break?" Sharon asked in concern, before her question was answered.

A light violet-coloured wind began to swirl at the very top of the staircase. The slight swirl of wind suddenly quickened and turned into a vortex.

The wind was so strong that even the trio that stood before the staircase could feel it.

When the vortex shattered into tiny particles of light, there stood the B-Rabbit with her contractor sitting on her shoulder, their backs to the trio below.

"Well, this definitely wasn't where I thought we'd end up," Oz said, jumping off of Alice's shoulder, allowing her to turn back into her human form, shocking the trio below, whom the duo hadn't noticed yet. "I was sort of aiming for the grave, somewhere secluded, but this is alright, since it's close."

"What're going to do now?" Alice asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"I really don't know. Since we arrived a bit away from our destination, I think all we _can_ do is to go to where our actual stop was," Oz said, finally turning around so that the trio could finally see the mystery man.

**_Pandora~Hearts_**

The man [Oz] (but they don't know yet, now do they?) had long mid-calf-length gold hair (his hair was down) parted on the right, messy bangs with a fringe swept to the right that covered his right eye and his left eye as well. From what the trio could see of his eye, it was a brilliant emerald-green.

He wore a pair of white breeches, a white dress shirt that had a an ascot collar and long sleeves, a black waistcoat, a pair of white laced-up knee-high boots that had a slight heel, and a pair of white wrist-length gloves. He also wore a justaucorps coat that went to just past mid-calf; the wavy-ended sleeves of his dress shirt were popping out of the ends of the deep turn-back cuffs, and his ascot tie was slightly ruffled (but not very poofy) and hung over his shirt and some of his waistcoat from just above his collarbone to about mid-chest over his coat (whose collar was unfolded over the ascot collar; his coat is unbuttoned). His ears were also pierced with sapphires that hung off of four centimeter chains from his earlobes.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

It was also then that Oz noticed and saw the three at the foot of the staircase.

'_Shit!'_ Oz thought with a mental wince. _'No one was supposed to see us!'_

"Who are you?" Break asked going up the first set of steps to the first landing.

'_Okay don't panic,' _Oz told himself, _'Just do what you and Jack planned, after all it technically isn't a lie.'_

"My name…My name is Jack Vessalius," Oz answered calmly, which betrayed what he was truly feeling on the inside.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	4. Retrace 3: Discoveries

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

**_'The' - Telepathic Speech_**

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Discoveries~Oo**

(AN: A little heads up for you readers. Since Oz has introduced himself as Jack Vessalius, I will call him Jack until Oz reveals himself.)

"What?" Raven breathed; he and Sharon had just arrived next to Break when they heard the stranger say his name.

"How can this be?" Sharon asked.

Break was the one, however, that did not make a comment. Instead he looked straight into Jack's eyes, who stared right back at him with a piercing gaze before he fell unconscious.

"Jack!" Alice exclaimed rushing over to him.

"Help him, you bloody twits!" Alice shouted at the trio.

Break, Raven, and Sharon climbed up the stairs as fast as they could.

Break turned Jack so that he was on his back. Raven checked Jack over for any injuries that he may have had before announcing, "He's just exhausted. He must have used up a lot of energy."

Alice, not wanting her contractor to be harmed, transformed into the B-Rabbit without thought and gathered the gold-haired man into his arms.

"Where can I take him to get some rest?" Alice demanded.

"We can take him," Break said as he and Raven took the unconscious man into their arms.

Alice reverted back to her human form as she and Sharon followed the three males into a carriage.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Raven watched Jack sleep and could help but feel a sense of recognition with the golden-haired man in the bed. He looked at Alice who was sleeping with her head on the bed while she sat on the floor.

'_They must be close,'_ Raven thought, _'But is that_ really_the legendary B-Rabbit?'_

Jack opened his eyes to find himself in a bed with nothing but the shirt he was wearing and a pair of black slacks. He looked over and saw that on and by a chair in the room was the rest of his clothing.

Feeling a slight weight on the bed next to him, Jack turned to see Alice sleeping peacefully. He stroked her hair softly to wake her up.

Feeling a hand dragging their fingers through her hair, Alice woke to see Jack smiling gently.

'_That smile is so familiar,' _Alice thought looking at the emerald-eyed man, _'It's warm. It feels like I know him, but it was the real Jack that really had me going; I know __him__ from somewhere, but Oz reminds me of him a lot.'_

Raven watched the scene from afar, wondering why they acted like that around each other, seeing as the girl was a Chain from the Abyss and he was a human.

"How long have I been asleep?" Jack asked.

"Two days," Raven spoke up, revealing his presence, "You've been asleep for two days."

"Come to the small dining room when you've dressed," Raven said, walking out of the room.

"Alice," Jack said.

Realizing what her contractor was asking, she walked out the room and waited by the room.

"Gil has indeed changed," Jack chuckled, "But it _has_ been ten years, and so much can change in that time span. Just as I have."

Jack hurriedly got dressed and exited the room to find Alice standing by a window. Tapping her shoulder, he gained her attention and the both of them headed off to meet the trio they knew awaited them.

Once entering the room, Alice and Jack saw that the stable was set with sweets of many types and two cups of tea.

"Ah! You're here!" Break exclaimed, waving his sleeve at the duo.

"Please take a seat," Sharon said kindly, "I'm sure that you're famished from what you'd gone through. And also because this young lady has refused to leave your side to even eat."

Upon hearing this, Jack turned to Alice with a reproving look, before smiling in thanks.

Break and Sharon watched this interaction with interest.

"Jack-sama," Sharon began as he began sipping his tea and Alice began eating a cake, "Where were you all these years?"

Seeing that none of them had the intention of hurting either him or Alice, he answered, "The Abyss. I was in the Abyss."

"For how long?" the strawberry-blonde asked.

"Just a little over ten years," Jack said waiting for their reaction.

They didn't disappoint. Raven lost his footing (he was leaning against the wall) and crashed to the floor, Sharon spit out her tea, and Break dropped his cup of tea; some of it falling on Sharon's hair.

"Who are you?" Raven growled.

"I am Jack Vessalius," Jack said, but when seeing the black-haired man about to protest to this, "And yet at the same time I am not."

"What do you mean by that?" Break asked suspiciously.

"I am not the true Jack, but in another way, I am," Jack replied.

"What have you been doing in the Abyss all these years?" Sharon asked.

"I've been closing as many portals as I could," the gold-haired man answered.

"Portals?" Raven mumbled.

"Ways from which Trump Chains or any Chains can escape into this world from the Abyss," Jack told the trio.

"Trump Chains?" Break muttered.

Jack looked at Alice to explain. She sighed and began explaining, "A Trump is a Chain that is at the very bottom of the list. Meaning that it's the kind of Chain that has the lowest amount of power, compared to other chains."

"What would these Chains of the higher power level be?" Sharon asked slowly.

"The Mad Hatter," Jack said looking at Break, "Raven," he looked at Raven at this, "Eques the Shadow Horse," he looked at Sharon, "The Cheshire Cat, and of course the Blood-stained Black Rabbit, or B-Rabbit for short."

"How did you know?" Raven growled.

"While traveling around and sealing Ways, it's quite easy to find out information," Jack said, "That and the fact that there is one window that allows you to look into this world helps as well."

"Do you know Oz Vessalius?" Sharon asked. "Have you met him in the Abyss?"

"I know him," Jack said, "But I can't say that I've met him."

"You know him—" Raven began.

"—but you never met him?" Sharon finished, confused.

"That would be correct," Jack answered.

"Why now?" Sharon asked. "Why did you come after all these years?"

"The true Jack Vessalius told me to come now," Jack shrugged, before looking at Alice for permission, to which she nodded, "And because we need to find Alice's memories."

"Alice?" Raven questioned.

"Memories?" Break murmured.

"This is Alice," Jack gestured to the brown-haired girl, "She is the B-Rabbit everyone knows about."

"Yes," Alice spoke up, gaining everyone but Jack's attention, "When I woke up in the Abyss, I only knew that my name was Alice. I had no memory of being born in the Abyss like all Chains should. I felt that my memories were here when…I…heard…that…tune…"

Alice snapped her head towards Jack urgently, who had done the same at the same time.

Jack quickly searched all of his pockets, only to find that the watch was gone. He closed his eyes and searched for the watch with his aura.

His eyes snapped open as he ran out the door, the other four right behind him. They all arrived just in time to see Jack running across the main lobby towards the watch, only to be stopped by a bright light, which blinded them all with its intensity.

When the light had died down, they all saw what looked like a ball covered in spiky grey fur. The ball unraveled in what looked like a hedgehog with stitches in its eye lids. After landing on the floor, it immediately began to ram the door with its head and occasionally as a ball.

Jack looked to Alice who nodded.

Raven was about to shoot the Chain with his gun, but Break stopped him, "I want to see just how powerful the B-Rabbit truly is."

"B-Rabbit!" Jack called out, snapping his arm to Alice, palm facing her.

A red and black glow enveloped the brown-haired girl. It grew larger and larger, and when it finally cleared, away, there stood the legendary Blood-stained Black Rabbit, its scythe in its hands, gold spear-tipped chains hovering around her and her Contractor protectively.

The spear-tipped chains each wrapped themselves around a limb each including the Chain's neck. "You're an eyesore!" Alice shouted as she slashed at the Chain with her scythe.

The hedgehog disintegrated into a few sparkles before fading away.

Jack went over to get the watch and touched it just as Alice did after she'd gone back to her human form.

A bright light erupted from the pocket watch.

Raven, Break, and Sharon as well as Alice and Jack found themselves sucked into a vision of some sort.

They saw Alice in a lovely gown playing with her dolls and cat, when suddenly that vision crumbled and became one in which a fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius was being strangled by what looked like a present Alice.

The light died away and so did the vision.

"Break," Sharon said, blinking, "Was that…?"

"Indeed," Break said to his mistress, "The two of them seem to be part of what we need to find out the Truth."

* * *

-Next Day-

Jack and Alice walked through the mansion, Jack telling Alice about his many exploits and friends as a boy.

"What about that boy?" Alice asked.

Jack smiled. _'She's beginning to become the sweet girl was before, at least that's what I can gather after seeing Jack's memories.'_

"Gilbert," Jack said, "Gil came to our mansion after being found in the Vessalius gardens unconscious. I saw that he was shaking as though he was afraid of something. He wasn't able to remember anything apart from his name. The very day we met was the day we became friends. Although he was always strict about rules and stuff, he was also a bit of a crybaby, too. But he was always there for me, my first real friend besides my little sister."

"O-Jack?" Alice asked, catching herself when she was about to say Jack's true name.

"Hmm?" Jack replied absentmindedly, as they continued to walk through the gardens before stopping underneath a large Weeping Willow tree and sitting in its shade.

"What's that melody that always plays from that watch?" Alice asked, sitting next to the golden-haired man.

"Lacie," Jack replied, "It's called 'Lacie'. Why? Do you like it?"

Alice nodded a bit shyly. "It sounds familiar and very pretty. Almost nostalgic."

Jack nodded. "I agree that the song is pretty, but the history behind it is both sad and horrible."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

No one noticed Break, Raven, and Sharon walking towards them.

Jack brought one knee up and propped an arm up on it, letting it hang lazily upon it while the other was stretched out.

"The melody was composed by Glen Baskerville for a woman he loved named, Lacie," Jack began explaining, "This pocket watch is also a music box created by the _true_Jack Vessalius for Glen, who was his friend at the time. Unfortunately, Lacie had died during the Tragedy of Sabriél. It was at her grave that this was found," Jack held the pocket watch in his hand for Alice to look at, "It is said that this was a song that the woman herself, Lacie, used to sing."

"Then besides a melody it's got a song?" Alice asked.

Jack nodded, still looking at the watch.

The duo still hadn't noticed the trio, who had set up a small tea table filled with sweets and tea with three chairs, listening to Jack as he spoke.

"Do you know it?" Alice asked.

Once again Jack nodded.

"Can you sing it?" Alice asked.

Jack started at this and looked at Alice in shock.

'_**You're in a bit of a predicament, aren't you?' **_a voice chuckled within Oz's head.

'_**Oh just shut up will you!' **_Oz shouted at the real Jack Vessalius, who had chosen this moment to pop up in his head.

'_**Just sing it,'**_ Jack told him, _**'You'll be fine and do fine. And I hope you've noticed the three in front of you listening ever since you started speaking about the melody's origins.'**_

'_**They are?'**_ Oz mentally winced before kicking himself for not paying attention to their surroundings.

"Alright," Jack [Oz] sighed, "I'll sing. I swear, the things I do to keep you happy and _him_ occupied."

'_**Hey! I heard that!'**_ came Jack's indignant reply.

'_**You were meant to! So there!' **_Oz retorted before beginning his song.

Jack's smooth, soft baritone voice filled the small courtyard.

_Everytime you kissed me  
I trembled like a child  
Gathering the roses  
We sang for the hope  
Your very voice is in my heartbeat  
Sweeter than my dream  
We were there, in everlasting bloom_

_Roses die  
The secret is inside the pain  
Winds are high up on the hill  
I cannot hear you  
Come and hold me close  
I'm shivering cold in the heart of rain  
Darkness falls, I'm calling for the dawn_

_Silver dishes for the memories for the days gone by  
Singing for the promises  
Tomorrow may bring  
I harbour all the old affection  
Roses of the past  
Darkness falls, and summer will be gone_

_Joys of the daylight  
Shadows of the starlight  
Everything was sweet by your side, my love  
Ruby tears have come to me for your last words  
I'm here just singing my song of woe  
Waiting for you, my love_

_Now let my happiness sing inside my dream…_

_Everytime you kissed me  
My heart was in such pain  
Gathering the roses  
We sang of the grief  
Your very voice is in my heartbeat  
Sweeter than despair  
We were there, in everlasting bloom_

_Underneath the stars  
Shaded by the flowers  
Kiss me in the summer day gloom, my love  
You are all my pleasure, my hope and my song  
I will be here dreaming in the past  
Until you come  
Until we close our eyes…_

Jack opened his eyes to see Break, Raven, and Sharon as well as Alice clapping.

"That was really good!" Alice said, eyes sparkling.

"That was actually my first time singing," Jack said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

The four looked at him in shock, Jack laughed nervously, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Now onto other things," Jack coughed, "What would the three of you like?"

"I would like the two of you to become my subordinates at Pandora," Break said bluntly.

"Hey," Alice said suddenly, "We don't know your names!"

Everyone looked at the brown-haired girl.

"It's true," Sharon conceded, "We haven't done introductions."

"Although they may not be needed," Jack said, with a smirk.

"Why not?" Sharon asked curiously.

"I just might know your names," Jack said simply.

"Alright then," Break said happily, "Go ahead and guess!"

"You, Milady," Jack said pointing to Sharon, "Are Lady Sharon Rainsworth, daughter of Lady Sharon Rainsworth of the Rainsworth Dukedom."

"You," the gold-haired man said, pointing to Break, "Are Xerxes Break, servant of the Rainsworth Dukedom. And that little doll on your shoulder would be Emily."

(AN: Look up a picture of Emily, since I'm waaaaay too lazy to do so.)

"And you," Jack said pointing to Raven, "Are Raven Nightray adopted son of the Nightray Dukedom and elder brother to Vincent Nightray. Ten years prior, until that fateful day when Oz Vessalius was sent to the Abyss, you'd been a servant of the Vessalius Dukedom, known as Gilbert."

The trio looked on at Oz in shock.

"How do you know all this?" Sharon asked.

"One: I know two of you, Two: I told you that I was able to learn quite a bit while in the Abyss, and Three: I just put puzzle pieces in the correct spaces of my memories," Jack said.

"You've said you know two of us," Sharon commented, "Who?"

"You Lady Sharon, and Gilbert over there," Jack said.

"How would you know us?" Sharon asked.

"I met you ten years ago, of course," Jack said simply, "Remember, I told you that I was in the Abyss for just a little over ten years and that I am Jack Vessalius, but not entirely."

Everyone looked confused now.

Jack sighed. "Sharon-sama, look at me and see if I remind you of anyone, if I _resemble_ someone you'd only met once."

Sharon did so, but still didn't understand.

Sighing once more, Jack said, "Sharon-sama, you'd only met me once. How would I look as a fifteen-year-old boy?"

Mulling over his words and looking at Jack, her eyes widened in shock and realization.

"Oz-sama!" Sharon exclaimed.

Gilbert, once known as Raven, and Break turned to Oz in shock.

Oz stood up to his full height and gave a mysterious smile. "Pleased to meet your acquaintances," he said. Everyone noticed how Jack didn't deny he was Oz.

"Oz?" Gilbert asked.

"It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Gil?" Oz asked, smiling sadly.

"This is quite the surprise," Break said.

"I would propose speaking inside where no one can hear us," Oz said, looking to Sharon for approval, to which she nodded.

The group of five walked into the mansion, Break, Sharon and Gilbert all thinking the same thing: _'WHAT is going on here?'_

* * *

Song: Everytime You Kissed Me by Emily Bindiger

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	5. Retrace 4: Explanations & Wipes

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Bwahahahahaha! I finally got on the computer!

Enjoy the chapter! (Even if its really short!)

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Explantions & Wipes~Oo**

"How?" Gilbert was able to say when the group of five arrived at the room they were in the day before.

"On the day of my Coming-of-Age Ceremony," Oz began, "As you may have deduced, the Baskerville Dukedom came out from the shadows and attacked me; fulfilling the prophecy of the Silent Clock Tower. Jack's spirit had come out of the Abyss when they were sending me into it, protecting me for as long as he could. But he told me that the only way I could be safe was if I was sent to the Abyss. So I went to the Abyss and Jack had taken me in. He showed me his memories, taught me how to fight and defend myself, and he taught me all he learned about the Abyss from his time there as well as a few other things.

"By staying with Jack, I was able to age so that when I came back, my appearance would match my age," Oz continued explaining, "So right now, I look just like I would as a twenty-five-year-old adult, just as my age is. I came back here with Alice's help after Jack had helped to grant us both a legal contract."

"But why didn't you tell us your real name when we first found you?" Sharon asked.

"I never told you because that was what Jack and I agreed on," Oz told the strawberry-blonde, "We agreed that no one should know that the fifteen-year-old sent into the Abyss ten years prior was back. Having Jack Vessalius back would cause quite the confusion, and provide a little entertainment for us as well."

At this the other four in the room did an anime-fall.

'_He hasn't changed one bit. Not one bit,'_ Gilbert thought, eye twitching.

"But the other reason is that in a way I _am_ Jack Vessalius," Oz stated, "But just as I said before: I am and yet not."

"What did you mean by _that_?" Gilbert asked cautiously.

"I mean that I am Jack Vessalius' reincarnation," Oz said.

The other three in the room, besides Oz and his Chain sat in shock.

"I am the only one of the Vessalius family that looks anything like Jack had ever since he died at the Tragedy of Sabriél," Oz explained, "I am also probably the only one who has the hero of the Tragedy himself talking in his head whenever he feels like it."

"So you know what happened one hundred years ago?" Break asked slowly.

"More or less," Oz said airily, "Though what I know is only what Jack had known and saw during that time. But know this, I won't tell you anything until the time is right, nor until the information is needed."

"Where are we?" Alice asked, speaking up, suddenly.

Everyone blinked at the random question.

"We are currently at Rainsworth Manor," Sharon said.

"Alright now that we have everything cleared up and explained," Oz said, clapping his hands once, "It's time to make sure none of you remember until the right time."

"What?" the trio, all but shouted at the gold-haired man.

"_None shall remember what has been told, until such a time that my true name is uttered by none other than I,"_ Oz chanted, as his hands glowed a faint white.

Sharon, Gilbert, and Break as well as Emily were enveloped in the same white light as the memory of discovering Oz was blacked from their minds completely.

The trio and doll collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

"Why did you do that?" Alice asked as she helped to lay them in a better position and cover than with a few blankets they managed to find.

"I originally didn't want them to know until later on," Oz explained, "But I decided to tell them now and black it from their minds until I release the barrier on the memory so that I won't have to explained everything all over again."

_

* * *

_

A bientôt,

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	6. Retrace 5: First Mission

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Bwahahahahaha! I finally got on the computer! Again!

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~First Mission~Oo**

"Have the both of you thought about my offer yet?" Break asked Jack and Alice.

The duo looked at one another before the gold-haired man replied. "We've decided to join, as it would be a good opportunity for us."

Break nodded, a serious look upon his face, before it switched into his usual happy-go-lucky expression.

"Where are we headed?" Jack asked Raven as the carriage bumped along the road.

"There's an Illegal Contractor somewhere in a village nearby," Raven answered, "We've been assigned to find out who it is and stop him or her before he or she does anything serious."

Jack looked at Raven for a while until the piercing emerald gaze annoyed said man.

"What?" Raven asked.

"You're tired and worried," Jack stated, "But you hide underneath a tough façade you created for yourself."

Raven's eyes widened for a moment before turning to look out of the window.

A moment of silence passed before Raven decided to speak. "Did your clock begin its rotation?"

Jack smiled, imperceptibly. "No, contrary to belief, I have a Legal Contract with Alice."

The black-haired man looked at the emerald-eyed male sitting opposite him, in shock.

"How?" Raven asked, "The only way to get a Legal Contract is to have it approved by Pandora."

"Let's just say I had a little help," Jack smiled mysteriously.

* * *

-Leverru-

"We'll be staying in an inn, then?" Jack asked as they walked passed different vendors and their stands.

Jack stopped, when he couldn't hear Alice's footsteps behind him anymore. "Alice?" the gold-haired male called.

He spotted Alice near a meat vendor's stand, drooling at the sight of the food. He chuckled at the sight, as did Jack inside his head.

'_**She is quite the girl, isn't she?'**_ Jack chuckled.

'_**Indeed,'**_ Oz agreed, _**'Are you sure she never acted this way when you knew her?'**_

'_**Never,'**_ Jack confirmed.

Jack ran over to Alice as Raven followed, muttering about 'Stupid Rabbits" the entire time.

Jack paid for some of the meat and the trio made their way back to the inn.

But once again, they were interrupted on their path as they saw a gang of boys bullying a little brown-haired boy.

"What's that poor excuse of a father going to do to help you now?" one of the males asked as the gang continued to beat the poor brown-haired child.

"Stay away from him!" came a deep, sharp, baritone voice.

The gang looked up to see Jack standing there, his one visible emerald eye glaring at them.

Scared of the strange man with a powerful aura around him, the gang ran off.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked.

The boy nodded before thanking Jack.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, before remembering to introduce himself as Phillip.

"Call me Jack," Jack smiled gently.

"Go on ahead," Jack told raven, "I'll meet up with you later."

Raven nodded stiffly and tried pulling a reluctant Alice with him.

"Alice," Jack said, the brown haired girl looked at him, "I'll come along later. Go with raven and don't cause any trouble, alright?"

Alice nodded reluctantly before going with the black-haired man.

"Now why were those boys beating you?" Jack asked, sitting down net to the boy.

"They were making fun of me because we were a noble family that just became poor," Phillip explained, "They were trying to take this locket from me."

Phillip held up an ornately locket that was designed delicately. Jack opened it to see a picture of a lovely woman.

"That's my mother," Phillip told Jack, smiling, "She died a long time ago, but I remember that she was a warm and kind person."

"She was indeed a beautiful woman," Jack commented, handing the locket back to the young boy.

"Mhm," Phillip nodded, "But it's okay, I still have my father, so I'm not lonely."

"You're a very lucky person, then," Jack said softly, before ruffling the young boy's head playfully.

"What about you, Onii-san?" Phillip asked. "What about your parents?"

Jack's smile faltered, but he looked up at the sky as he told the boy as much as he could. "I don't remember much of my mother, since she died only a few days after I was born, and my father…well, he was never around much, even to this day. But I always had my friends and my uncle as well as my sister to keep me company."

"Oh dear," Jack commented, "It's gotten pretty late. I've got to go and meet up with my friends before they get worried, and you, lad, have to get home, before your father gets worried."

"Okay!" Phillip said, before running off, waving goodbye to Jack as he did so.

Jack waved until he could no longer see the boy.

He put his arm down and walked in the direction of the inn.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Where were you?" Raven asked, as he spotted Jack.

"I was just talking with the little guy," Jack said, waving his hand, as if he were waving the matter off.

Raven bristled at the gesture.

Before the black-haired man could say anything, Alice came out just as Jack's head snapped up and his eyes became unfocused.

"What?" Raven asked, alarmed.

"The stench of a Chain," Alice stated, before smirking maliciously, "Stupid Contractee isn't even bothering to hide his Chain's stench."

"Another familiar aura," Jack said. _'Zwei and Doldam.'_

Jack ran off in one direction as Alice ran off in another. "Stay with Alice! She'll lead you to the Chain you're looking for!"

And with that, Raven began running after the brown-haired female.

* * *

-Rainsworth Manor-

"So what's happened?" Sharon asked, as Break poured a cup of tea for both her and himself.

"The Illegal Contractor we'd apprehended," Liam said, pushing his glasses further up his nose, "Has escaped today at 2.00 in the afternoon after murdering six valuable members!"

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Liam Lunettes had short chestnut-colored haired, and light sky-blue eyes.

He wore a long ankle-length trench coat that was white at the top and was a navy-blue after the white. He wore a pair of black-blue slacks, white wrist-length gloves, a pair of wire-rimmed glasses, and a pair of circles dangled from rectangles hooked in his ears. He wore a pair of black dress-shoes.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"I wouldn't worry so much," Break said, "I have a feeling that something interesting will happen."

"But anyhow, Liam-san," Break said.

"You're useless!" Emily exclaimed.

"Liam-san," Sharon spoke up, "Feel free to regard the both of them as air."

* * *

-Leverru-

Jack continued running until he spotted Phillip being chased by someone. He leapt into the air and flipped once before landing on his feet in front of the figure chasing the boy.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The figure was female. She had white-gray hair that was short in the back but two thick chin-length strands hung down the sides of her face as her bangs were splayed across her forehead. She had blank indigo eyes, pale and pale skin. Over all, she looked no older than fourteen.

She wore a pair of white thing-length flat-soled boots, a white mid-thigh-length skirt, a white dress-shirt, and a blue coat that was high-collared, and had long sleeves that didn't allow her hands to be visible; the sleeves had big white frills.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

A Large blade popped out from within her right sleeve and she pointed it at Phillip.

"If you would come with me, Phillip West," the girl said, before the young boy ran off, screaming in fear.

"That was quite rude," the girl stated in a monotone voice.

"Who wouldn't be?" Jack asked, "You just pointed a blade at a little boy and tell him to come with you! If that doesn't scare someone, I don't know what will!" Jack sweat-dropped.

"In that case I'll have to pursue him," the girl said, getting ready to chase after Phillip.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Jack said, stepping in front of her.

"Then I'll have to eliminate you," the girl said, "If you don't get out of my way, that is."

With that, she ducked underneath Jack's arm and went on to chasing Phillip.

As she passed Jack, his eyes widened. _'Zwei.'_

* * *

"There it is!" Alice exclaimed, stopping in front of what looked like a deformed caterpillar with multiple red orbs for eyes and numerous legs.

"I'll figh—" Alice said before cutting herself off and looking at Raven with a dumbstruck look on her face, who had mirrored her expression.

"I…can't fight…without…O-Jack…here…" Alice choked out.

"RUN!" Both exclaimed as the Chain chased after them.

"You stupid evil seaweed-head!" Alice shouted as they ran.

"Shut up! It's all your fault you stupid rabbit!" Raven retorted.

**_Pandora~Hearts_**

"What will you do with him?" Jack asked as the girl straddled Phillip.

"He isn't Grim's Contractor if that's what you're worried about," the girl stated, "His father is."

She then flipped over the edge of the terrace, Jack behind her.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Raven and Alice continued running until they hit a dead end.

Grim was about to attack when a figure somersaulted off of the terrace above them and struck the Chain.

"Echo?" Raven exclaimed

The figure turned to Alice and Raven and looked at Raven in surprise. "Gilbert-sama?"

But no one was able to say anything more, for Grim raised its hand to attack.

But before it was able to strike another figure leapt off of the same terrace Echo had and struck Grim with a sword.

The figure landed kneeling, his back to the trio. He stood up and faced them to reveal Jack.

"Jack?" Alice and Raven exclaimed.

"Jack?" Echo whispered.

"B-Rabbit!" Jack called out, his palm facing out at Alice.

Alice morphed into her B-Rabbit form, chains, scythe and all.

'_I'm so sorry, Phillip,'_ Jack thought, closing his eyes before commanding Alice to finish Grim off.

With quite a few strikes of her scythe, Alice finished off Grim and Phillip's father disintegrated as a result of his Illegal Contractor's Seal making a full rotation.

"That was quite an interesting battle," a voice stated as he came out of a nearby alley.

"Vincent?" Gilbert whispered in realization.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	7. Retrace 6: Revelations & Forgiveness

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Revelations & Forgiveness~Oo**

Vincent Nightray had blonde hair that went to a few inches below his shoulders. He had one wine-red eye and the other a perfect gold like Raven's.

He wore the same uniform as a member of Pandora. His ears were pierced with hoops that dangled off of chains hooked into each ear.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"What are you doing here?" Gilbert all but shouted at the blonde-haired male.

"And here I thought that you'd be happy to see me, Onii-sama," Vincent said sweetly.

Raven looked slightly flustered. "Well, I am glad to see you, but I didn't expect to see you _here_."

Vincent looked around at the group, his eyes freezing at Jack; his skin paled.

"Who are you?" Vincent whispered, as if he'd seen a ghost.

Jack smirked malevolently. "My name," Jack said, "Is Jack Vessalius."

Vincent paled even more, if possible, at hearing Jack's name.

"O-Jack?" Alice asked. "Who's he?"

Vincent looked at Alice closely, and grew even paler than he already was.

"Alice," Jack said, "This is Vincent Nightray. Raven's younger brother by two years."

Vincent looked quite close to fainting right about now, so he did just that. He collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

"And now as for you," Jack said, becoming serious and grave as he turned to Echo, "I believe we have something to settle, _Zwei_."

Echo's eyes widened at the name as she began glowing a light maroon. The light grew stronger and stronger, until it blinded practically everyone there, but Jack.

When it died away, there stood a member of the Baskerville, maroon robes and all.

"Well, boy," Zwei said haughtily, "You've figured out quite the mystery!"

No one noticed Sharon and Break arriving.

"Indeed," jack said, "Now tell me, how long have you existed? A hundred years? Maybe more? Or did you come into existence just over a decade ago?"

"Who are you?" Zwei hissed.

"I'm sure that you've already heard my name," Jack smirked.

"You lie!" Zwei screeched, summoning her Chain, Doldam.

Raven cringed at the sight of it.

"Who are you?" Zwei shouted.

"B-Rabbit," Jack called out as Alice reverted back to her larger form.

"B-Rabbit," Zwei breathed in slight awe and fear.

"Zwei, if we battle, then the outcome won't be pretty," Jack told the Baskerville member, "But stand down and no harm will come to your Chain."

"Never!" Zwei hissed, "Now reveal who you are!"

"You know me," Jack said, climbing onto Alice's shoulder and standing there.

"Lies!" Zwei shrieked.

"No," jack said simply, "Ten years ago, you'd sent me to the Abyss."

"No…" Zwei breathed, "It couldn't be…"

"Of course it could," Jack said, _'I __really__ didn't want to reveal myself this early, and after wiping their memories! But I suppose I'll have to do this and rearrange Zwei's memories to the best of my ability.'_ "I am Oz Vessalius!"

Sharon, Gilbert, and Break looked on at Oz in shock, just as Zwei did.

The trio's eyes widened as the block placed on their memories broke.

"Kill her," Jack said monotonously.

Alice swung her scythe at Doldam numerous times before she was destroyed, leaving Zwei without a Chain.

Jack leapt down from his Chain's shoulder and walked up to Zwei, who was kneeling on the ground in shock. He kneeled down in front of Zwei and paced a hand on her head as it began glowing a faint white. "You shall report that Jack Vessalius has returned at long last to end the fight that has been raging for so long. Tell Glen Baskerville that Jack is coming for him.," Jack whispered into her ear.

Zwei disappeared in a flash of maroon light.

"Oz," Raven said, hoisting a still unconscious Vincent up on his shoulder.

"Gil," Oz gave a curt nod.

"You wiped our memories," Sharon stated.

Oz just nodded as he, Alice and Gilbert went into one carriage, putting Vincent with Sharon and break in their carriage.

* * *

"You haven't changed, Gil," Oz stated, looking out the window, grabbing Gilbert's attention.

Alice slept on as if nothing was happening.

"How would you know?" Gil asked, smiling wryly, "I betrayed the Vessalius Household."

"So what if you've become a Noble?" Oz asked, looking at his old friend.

"Why do you say that you've changed?" Oz asked, "Is it because you've grown? Is it because you've become part of the Nightray Dukedom? Or is it the fact that you've learned how to use a gun?"

Gilbert said nothing; instead, he just looked away.

"It doesn't matter." Oz said, "None of those things do. It's natural for things to have changed in a decade. Look at me and tell me that I haven't changed."

Gilbert still said nothing.

"Gil, none of those things matter," Oz said, causing the black-haired man to look at the gold-haired man across from him when the moonlight shone down on him, giving him a mysterious, and yet angelic look, "I do know that no matter what, I won't let go of you very easily."

Gilbert looked on at his old friend in slight shock and awe. "If you're really willing to forgive me," Gilbert said, as he knelt in front of Oz within the carriage, as it stopped (horses can't go on without stopping at some points), "Then I still wish to be your servant till the day we both perish."

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Oz smiled gently.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	8. Retrace 7: Greetings & a Grave

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Seriously, sorry for not updating, but I was literally waaaaaaay too busy, and my baby cousin sometimes just wouldn't leave me alone!

Oh, and now that Oz being Jack is out in the open for some people,. I'll be alternating the use of 'Oz' and 'Jack' throughout my story; unless it's in oz's thoughts and he's talking _to_ Jack himself.

Enjoy!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Greetings & a Grave~Oo**

-Rainsworth Manor-

"Why did you block the memory?" Sharon asked as she Break, Gilbert, Alice and Oz took a seat in the small room they talked in once before.

Oz shrugged. "I didn't want anyone to find out who I was too early, but I didn't want to explain twice or go through the explanation more than once, so I just told you all at the same time and blocked it until it was time for you to know. But unfortunately, Zwei shot down that plan, back there."

Oz's expression turned serious as he leaned back into his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "Now I don't want anyone to know that _**Oz**_ Vessalius is back from the Abyss. If anyone wishes to know who I am, I'll just tell them what I told you: that I'm Jack Vessalius. I will only tell those truly trustworthy of who I am."

* * *

-Elsewhere-

"_What?_" a voice asked. "_What_ did you just say?"

"Jack Vessalius has returned," Zwei repeated for probably the thousandth time.

"Are you sure you're not getting him confused with the boy?" a figure asked.

Zwei's head snapped towards the figure. "Of course not, Lottie. Why would I lie about something like this?"

"Well, then," the figure known as Lottie, said, "If the fabled hero has returned, I propose we give him a nice welcoming gift; don't you think so?"

The group that belonged to or followed the Baskerville agreed heartily.

* * *

-Rainsworth Manor-

"Now, I think we should head back to where my Coming-of-Age Ceremony was held," Oz suggested, as the group walked down a hall.

"Why?" Gilbert asked his master.

"Because I think that there may be clues that we can use and because I have a feeling that a shard of Alice's memories might be hidden there," Oz explained.

"Oz-sam—" Sharon began, only to be cut off by the windows shattering.

Members of the Baskerville piled in through the shattered panes, but to the groups' surprise, only four members had arrived.

Gilbert cocked his gun, ready to shoot when necessary; Break had placed Sharon behind him, holding her there to keep her from harm; Alice was poised in a battle stance, in case Oz had wanted her to transform; and Oz…Jack was just standing there, mildly surprised.

'_They've found out __this__ quickly?' _Jack thought. _'I expected them to find out and pay us a visit, but definitely not this early.'_ He quickly wiped his face and posture of any emotion.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

All four were different heights. One looked bulky and was the tallest of the four, a second was probably a foot shorter, the third was taller than the second but shorter than the first, while the fourth was shorter than the first, but taller than the other two. The third figure was carrying a zanbatō.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Well, well, well," Lottie drawled, "It seems like the hero _has_ indeed returned!"

"I would greet you as I used to, Lottie," Jack replied, "But in these circumstances, and in our present situation, I should think not."

Lottie only grinned as she pulled down her hood, revealing her face.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

She had mid-back-length dark-rose-colored hair with two long, thick strips of hair going down to just past her shoulders. She had pale skin and red eyes. She looked no older than twenty or maybe even eighteen.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Jack," Lotties said in a mock-bored tone, "I don't know why you've come now or even managed to survive these last hundred years or so," Lottie's mocking expression was replaced with an unforgiving expression, "But that doesn't matter; we'll eliminate anything that gets in our way; innocent _or_ guilty."

Jack only smirked coldly as the figure with the zanbatō came charging at him, as though to prove Lottie's statement true. The gold-haired male charged at the hooded figure coming towards him and leapt out of the way just as the figure was about to strike, and landed behind the fourth figure.

Jack smirked even coldly as he caught a glimpse of the fourth member's face. _'Just as I thought.'_

"Lottie," Jack said, suddenly, gaining everyone's attention, "You've proved your point, but I have mine to make." He glared icily at the rose-haired woman. "I _will_ stop the Baskerville just as I did a hundred years before, if I must, to stop history from repeating itself. I won't take pity, but nor will I be ruthless; I _will_ stop you and Glen from repeating the events that caused the Tragedy."

Lottie only glared back before a maroon light enveloped all the Baskerville. When it cleared, nothing of the four beings were left.

"Oz-sama," Sharon began, "What was that about? Do you _know_ what happened at the Tragedy of Sabliér?"

Jack turned to look at the four standing behind him, with slightly bemused, but curious expressions painted on their faces.

Alice ran over to Oz and gave him a look that clearly asked, 'Are you okay?'. Jack just smiled and ruffled Alice's hair lightly.

"I do," Oz admitted, smiling sadly at Alice, which went unnoticed by her, but not the other three, "But I will tell no one until it is time," he stated when he saw the other three about to inquire about the information.

"Now," Oz said, turning to his old friend and their accomplices, "Shall we head over to the Mansion?"

* * *

-Grand Estate- (AN: Corny name, but I really didn't have any good ideas for the mansion where Oz and his family stayed during his Coming-of-Age Ceremony. I would've called it Archduke Estate, but that didn't sound right to me.)

"Why did you really want to come here for?" Gilbert asked, as he walked beside Jack, following Alice, who'd run off ahead of them. "I know you said something about that stupid rabbit's memory, but why else did you come?"

Oz smiled at what Gilbert had just said. "I _did_ come here for Alice's memory, but I also came here to look at something and see if Jack and I assumed correctly about it."

"What is—" Gilbert asked, before being cut off by Jack, who had placed an arm out in front of him, preventing him (Gilbert) from moving; the gold-haired man just turned to his black-haired companion and placed a single finger over his lips, before pointing at Alice.

The chocolate-haired girl seemed like she was in a trance of some sort. Se stood at the railing of the pathway the three of them were on and looked at a cherry-blossom tree that was in bloom; the petals moving along with the gentle breeze.

Her violet eyes glazed over as she raised her arms to the tree. "I couldn't recognize the voice that was calling me, but I now know," Alice said to the tree, "You've been waiting for me, haven't you?"

All of a sudden, Gilbert and Oz were sucked into what looked to be one of Alice's memories.

A considerably younger Alice ran past both men with a smile.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

She wore a lovely periwinkle-colored gown that had white trimming and long sleeves, heeled shoes of the same color, and a periwinkle ribbon was tied in the back, keeping her hair in a slightly loose low-pony-tail. She held a brown-colored stuffed bunny within her arms.

Her hair was in the same style she had it in at present.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The two watched the young girl sprint over to a familiar man that looked to be several years older than her.

"_You followed me, didn't you?" _the man asked. _"Silly girl,"_ he smiled as he ruffled Alice's hair, causing her to giggle.

Gilbert only looked at the man in shock when he saw his face. He was practically a perfect copy, save for a couple minor details, of his golden-haired companion.

He looked over to Oz to see his reaction, but to Gilbert's surprise, Jack wasn't surprised, but was watched the memory calmly, as though he'd seen it once before.

The image faded away and Oz made his way to his Chain. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Alice only nodded, wiping a few tears off of her cheeks before smiling at her Contractor.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Do you remember how we found this place?" Oz asked his dark-haired friend.

Gilbert winced, but smiled at the memory.

* * *

-Flashback-

_Oz stared up at the large magnolia tree with an unreadable expression on his face._

_That was when the golden-haired boy heard a strange tune. A haunting tune that he'd felt he'd heard, and yet, had never heard it at all._

_Taking off in the direction of the sound, Oz ignored the calls of "Young Master!" from Gil as the black-haired boy ran behind Oz with his younger sister following them._

_As he came closer and closer to the sound, Oz received another image in his mind of a city shrouded in darkness._

_'This tune, where is it coming from?' Oz thought stopping a few feet from the Magnolia tree, before the stones underneath his feet gave way and he collapsed into the large hole._

_"Young Master!" Gilbert shouted running over to him, only to fall into the hole, himself._

_"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" Ada called worriedly._

_"Ow…Gil, you still alive?" Oz asked as both he and the black-haired boy sat up in an upright position._

_"Somehow," Gilbert commented, rubbing his head._

-End Flashback-

* * *

"Ah," Jack said approaching the grave, "Here it is."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Gilbert asked, stopping behind Jack, who had kneeled down in front of the grave.

"The name of who was buried here," Oz replied, "Both Jack and I had discussed our thoughts and came to an assumption while I was in the Abyss. I just need to know if our assumption was correct."

Jack brushed off the moss that covered the stone part of the grave that once had a name engraved upon it. He saw that the name was completely weathered away, so only slight dents were left; the only things that indicated that there was once writing on it.

Oz placed his hand on the stone and began chanting as his hand glowed a faint white. He removed his hand to find the stone glowing a bright white.

Gilbert and Alice only looked on in both shock and awe.

The light died away, to be replaced with a name and statement.

"What did you just…?" Gilbert trailed off, looking at the grave.

"I just did a Reversal spell on the stone," he explained, "I simply reversed time for the grave so that the name etched on it would be clear as day. See how the entire thing looks almost new?"

Hearing this Gilbert and Alice looked at the grave to see that it _did_ look new. All the scratches and small nicks on it were gone. Everything was polished as though it was new.

"How…?" Gilbert chocked out looking from his friend to the grave several times.

"Let's just say that Jack didn't _only_ teach me how to use a sword while in the Abyss," Oz grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Oz looked at the name and smirked in triumph.

'_**Well, it seems like our assumption was correct, Jack,' **_Oz stated.

'_**Oh?' **_Jack commented. _**'Then it really is who we thought it would be?'**_

Oz only gave a mental nod to his incarnation.

"What?" Gilbert asked. "What is it?"

Oz only stepped back to let his other two companions read what was written on the grave.

_Lacie Evengale _(Lacey; Evan-Gail)

_Dearly Beloved, Loyal Friend, and Unfortunate Sacrifice._

_'The song shall bring about the end.'_

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	9. Retrace 8: A Different Dimension

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~A Different Dimension~Oo**

"He's back," a voice whispered, "He's really back…"

"But how?" Vincent exclaimed, burying his face in his hands. "I saw him! He was completely covered in blood! He wasn't even _moving_!"

"How did he survive?" the blonde-haired man whispered once more.

* * *

-Grand Estate-

"What was so important about that grave?" Gilbert asked, as the trio walked back into the mansion, where Break and Sharon were waiting. "And why did you need to know the name of whoever was buried?"

"I think you'll recall me telling Alice the origins of the song playing from the pocket watch?" Oz asked his dark-haired friend, watching Alice as she bounced along ahead of them.

Gilbert nodded.

"Well, if you recall, I said that Lacie was a very important person to Glen Baskerville," the gold-haired man explained, "The watch I found on her grave played the melody of the song she sang, composed by Glen himself."

Oz and Gilbert stopped in the garden and sat underneath a cherry-blossom tree, while Alice ran around playing.

"Glen loved her," Oz continued, causing the dark-haired man to look at his friend in shock, "He truly did, and his affections were returned. But just as it was written on the grave, she was an 'unfortunate sacrifice'."

"What do you mean by that?" Gilbert questioned. "You can't mean that he…" he trailed off when he saw his gold-haired companions, eyes close in silent confirmation. "You're kidding! Why? Why do that to someone you care about?"

"Did you know that he kept a young girl locked up in a tower all because she had a special connection to something powerful and almost sinister?" Oz asked suddenly. "The Baskerville's goal is to obtain the Will of the Abyss. Glen was so obsessed with this goal that his obsession blinded him from the things he once loved. So when he was executing his plan, he killed Lacie without a second thought, though he felt remorse for killing the one person who loved him as he did her. So he gave her a proper burial and left the music box, or the watch more specifically, at her grave, where it remained for over a hundred years, until I found it and took it.

"Blinded by obsession, Glen killed anyone and everyone just to try and reach his goal," Oz finished.

"He killed off someone he loved all because of a stupid goal?" Gilbert exclaimed, aghast.

Oz nodded sadly.

"You know something else don't you?" Gilbert accused. "You're not telling me everything, but you didn't tell Break or Sharon everything, either. What are you hiding? When will you tell us everything?"

Oz closed his eyes and turned his face towards the sun. "Someday. I hope to reveal everything someday, but no earlier than needed."

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Well," Break said, "What do we do now?"

"The Baskerville know that Jack Vessalius is back," Sharon stated, "Is that a wise decision?"

Oz did look at them, but rather out the window as he spoke. "If they knew that Oz Vessalius was back, then we would have a much bigger problem. Jack Vessalius isn't a large problem for them, since they won't bother with someone thought to be dead. But they attacked _Oz_ Vessalius for a reason," Oz turned to looked at the other four in the room, "They believed that since Oz was the one to fulfill the prophecy of the Silent Clock Tower, he might have some kind of power that will stop the Baskerville."

"We understand all that, but what do we do now?" Sharon asked once more.

"We go ahead and search for more of Alice's memories," Oz stated.

Sharon and Gilbert were about to protest as Break stood there against the wall with a calculating expression painted on his face.

"Searching for Alice's memories will bring you all closer to your goal," Oz said, effectively cutting both people's protests, "My mission is to defeat the Baskerville and find Alice's memories, while yours is to find out the truth of what happened a hundred years before. You may not know it, as I do, but our quests are intertwined. The more of Alice's memories we find, the more you shall discover."

"Is Alice-chan involved in what happened a hundred years ago?" Sharon asked carefully.

Felling everyone's eyes on him, Oz sighed. "Yes."

A tense silence befell the group.

"Break," Oz said, suddenly, breaking the silence, "You want to go t the Cheshire Cat, do you not?"

Break looked surprised before nodding. "Very good, Oz-sama, you've figured it out, but I don't suppose you'd know _why_?"

"I do," Oz stated, "But I rather not say. That is your little mission."

"How do we get to the Cheshire Cat, then?" Gilbert asked.

"Eques can take you all there, but I can't go," Sharon spoke up, gaining everyone's attention, "Eques can bring you all to the Cheshire Cat's dimension, but I have to warn you, since there will be four of you going, I can't guarantee that you'll end up together."

"What do you mean by that?" Gilbert asked.

"She means that since more of us are going, while traveling, we might be separated," Oz explained, "Eques can only bring two people to the same place, but any more than that, and there is a chance that we might be separated, and land in different parts of the dimension, but if luck is on our side, we will all end up in the same spot together."

"Well, then, shall we head out to see him?" Break asked cheerfully.

Sharon just nodded and told the quartet to stand together.

A ring of black and violet erupted from underneath their feet before it became a large column of black enveloped the group before it morphed into a sphere, containing the four and disappearing all together.

* * *

-Nightray Manor-

"If Jack's told them anything, they're most likely to go to _his_ place soon," Vincent said, "After that, it's only a matter of time till they find out…"

He looked up with a determined expression. "No, they won't. Not if I have anything to do about it."

"Echo!"

* * *

-Cheshire Cat's Dimension-

Gilbert crashed to the floor in a heap, but just as he was getting up, he once again, ended up on the floor, due to the fact that Oz had crashed down right on top of him.

"Okay, that wasn't exactly how I thought this would go," Oz said sitting up, not knowing he was sitting on his friend, until he felt squirming underneath him.

The Gold-haired man looked down to see his friend, face-down upon the floor. "Ah! Gilbert, sorry! You okay?"

Gilbert just lifted his face from the tiled floor with a vengeful look on his face. "Oz…" he growled out slowly, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Huh?" Oz sweat-dropped, before seeing Gilbert's expression.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Oz shouted as the black-haired man ran after his gold-haired companion.

'_Gah! What do I do now?' _Oz thought apprehensively as he continued running from his friend. He thought about anything that could probably distract Gilbert, when a thought hit him. _'I have no idea if this'll still work even now, but it's worth a shot! I never really found out, either, __why__ he's afraid of cats…'_

"CAT!" Oz shouted. Stopping and pointing to something behind Gilbert.

The black-haired man froze at that and turned around with a panicky look on his usually bored face. He quickly spun around to see nothing but air, and heard soft snickering behind him. Gilbert turned around to glare at Oz, which made the snickers become a full-blown laugh.

"I'm sorry!" Oz said laughing. "But it was the only way to make you stop! I didn't know you hadn't gotten over your fear of cats!"

Gilbert flushed a bit in embarrassment all the while glaring at his friend and master.

"Where are we?" Gilbert asked, quickly changing the subject.

"If my suspicions are correct," Oz said, "We have arrived in the Cheshire Cat's dimension. Though, it seems that we've been separated from Alice and Break as well as little Emily."

At that, the black-haired male looked around to see that Break, his annoying doll, and Alice were, indeed, not there.

(AN: I'm not going to bother describing the Cheshire Cat's dimension. If you've watched the anime, then you'd know what I'm talking about. If not, then BOO HOO for you!)

"Let's go and find our Cat," Oz said, starting off in a random direction, Gilbert walking in step with him, beside him.

* * *

"Oomph!" Alice grunted as Break landed on top of her.

"Well, this is quite an interesting place to be hiding," Break commented, looking around at their surroundings.

"Get off of me you stupid clown!" Alice shouted.

"Oh dear," Break told Emily, "It seems I've made our little bunny angry!"

"Bunny's angry! Bunny's angry!" Emily giggled on Break's shoulder.

Alice only growled, causing Break to chuckle as he got off of her.

"Oh my," Break said after a moment's slience, "We've lost both our companions as well."

Alice looked around to see that he was completely correct; Oz and Gilbert were nowhere to be seen. "So now what, Clown?" she asked in a bossy tone.

"I suggest we run away," Break said with a smile.

"Huh?" Alice asked, completely lost.

Break then pointed to something in front of them.

Alice looked in the direction the white-haired man pointed, only to come face-to-face with rose bushes with sharp, thorny vines ready to attack, and demented chess pieces with their weapons poised for attack.

Alice blanched at that and was still, until Break scooped her up into his arms and ran in the opposite direction, the abominations flowing them.

"Let me down you Clown!" Alice shouted.

"Ah, but that would mean that you would have to walk or run and that would only slow us down," Break whined lightly, before his face shifted into a thoughtful expression. _'It's quite amusing, really, to see this young girl, the legendary B-Rabbit acting like an innocent young girl with Oz-sama and hostile with others. I wonder if this has anything to do with her past? Or even the Tragedy?'_

Just then Break let Alice down and looked around to see that they had run into a hall with mirrors in the walls.

Alice then felt what seemed like s shock run through her head. Her eyes widened as she looked away in another direction, completely forgetting about Break for the moment. _'A shard! A shard of my memory is here!'_

Break noticed the glazed over expression was about to try and shake her out of it, only to look into the mirror beside him and see a haunting image.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The figure break saw in the mirror was a spitting image of him, only he had longer hair, about mid-back, and bandages were wrapped over his left eye and around his head.

He wore a pair of dark-grey loose-fitting slacks, a white long sleeved shirt with long bell-sleeves that had ruffles at the ends of the shirt which stuck out of the sky-blue justaucorps coat he wore. The coat itself was sky-blue with gold lining and gold fastenings. He wore a pair of dark-grey, almost black, dress shoes.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The image's mouth twisted into a wicked grin before it reached _out_ of the mirror and wrapped on arm around Break's waist while the other wrapped its hand around Break's mouth, muffling whatever the white-haired man wanted to say. The image dragged Break to the mirror until he was close enough to it and dragged him inside of it.

Alice finally snapped out of her trance and looked around for Break and Emily.

"Stupid Clown left me!" Alice told herself incredulously.

Another shock ran through her head. She shook it off and walked in the direction she felt her memory calling, completely forgetting about Break and Emily once more.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	10. Retrace 9: A New Chain, Another Memory

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Alright, I'll be alternating the use of the name Gilbert and his nickname, Raven, since I feel that using Gilbert all the time seems to be a tad repetitive.

Enjoy!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~A New Chain, Another Memory~Oo**

"Where is he?" Gilbert growled as they walked into yet another room. But this room, actually, was much different from the rest that they'd already visited.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

It had a red and black checkerboard-tiled floor, unlike the black and white checkerboard floor they'd seen in the other rooms. It had numerous books and toys as well as torn drapes and such. But there was one place in the room where there was a large cushion with many torn drapes surrounding it.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Ne, What are you _humans_ doing here-nya?" came a voice.

Gilbert and Oz turned to the source of the voice to see what looked like a person sitting upon the large cushion.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

He had rosewood-coloured hair with light maroon tints that was shoulder-length, but layered slightly and his bangs covered his right red eye completely. He had cat ears that were the same colour as his hair and feline canines showing over his bottom lip. Instead of arms, he had two long floor-length maroon and black paws with sharp white claws and a lace up pattern on the sides of his arms, making it seem like the large paws were stitched to his flesh. He tail was the same color as his hair and ears, but with thin black stripes and maroon tints.

He wore a pair of black skin-tight pants, a black sleeveless form-fitting top with a high-collar and a zipper down the middle of the shirt. He wore what looked like a black cape that was slightly tattered and began at a few inches below his shoulders stretching to mid-torso with a long piece of fabric of the same color stretching to the floor in the back; that, too, was slightly tattered. His shoes were knee-length lace-up boots with a slight heel. He also wore a large bell around his neck that was attached to a red ribbon.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Gil," Oz said quietly, "I think we may have just found our cat."

When Oz heard no response from his friend, he turned around only to find his friend white and petrified.

Oz blanched at the sight of his friend.

"Gil! What's wrong?" Oz suddenly began shouting, shaking his friend by the collar.

"Ne…ko…it's…a…cat…" Raven managed to choke out.

"Of course it's a cat!" Oz shouted back. "It's called the Cheshire _Cat_! We've been saying for the entire time and you choose _now_ to freak out?"

Neither noticed that as they were speaking, or rather Oz was talking sense into the black-haired male, that the Cheshire Cat was slowly approaching the both of them, lips in a sinister grin and his claws poised to attack.

Oz saw the Chain about to attack from out of the corner of his eye and quickly pulled both himself and Gilbert out of the way before the claws could so as much as touch them.

Having being pulled out of harm's way had snapped Gilbert out of his self-induced trance.

Floating in the air after his attack was avoided the Cheshire Cat was ready to attack again and charged, when a black vortex engulfed both men, repelling the Chain once more.

"What?" Cheshire gasped in outrage, as he saw the vortex manifest into a black horse with a white horn on its forehead and violet flames for a mane, tail and with flames coming from its white hoofs as well. "Eques?"

"Are the both of you alright?" Eques said in Sharon's voice, turning to Oz and Gilbert.

"Sharon?" both men asked confusedly.

Eques gave a nod. "I can communicate with you using Eques, and although he may not look very strong, that doesn't mean that he can't fight."

Before anyone was able to say anymore, a white light enveloped Gilbert and Oz, taking them away to only God-knows-where.

* * *

"Cheshire Cat," Sharon said, as she sipped her sup of tea, "I would like to know about something that you may have the answer to."

* * *

"What do you want to know-nya?" Cheshire asked, licking his paw lazily.

"I would like to know the truth of what happened a hundred years ago at Sabliér," Sharon said through Eques.

* * *

"I would like to know the events of the Tragedy of Sabliér," Sharon said.

* * *

The Chain smirked. "You're asking about something that you'll never get out of Cheshire-nya."

And with a spin on the spot, his cape whirling around him like a cocoon, he was gone.

"Wait!" Sharon shouted as Cheshire disappeared.

* * *

Sharon frowned as she set her cup of tea back on the table.

She froze when a slight rustling of clothes caught her attention. The strawberry-blonde turned around only to come face to face with blank indigo eyes.

All went black.

* * *

Alice wandered through the halls, until she saw something, a black speck at the end of the hall she was walking through. Running over to see what it was, she was surprised to see a cat.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

It was you usual black cat, and yet it was not. The feline was indeed black, but its yellow eyes had no pupils. It had a small bell tied around its neck with a red ribbon.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The cat looked at Alice for a few moments before running off and disappearing.

"That's funny," Alice mumbled, "I thought that there was definitely something familiar about him."

Shrugging the matter away, she continued to follow her own path.

* * *

"Where are we _now_?" Raven asked as they landed at the topmost platform a staircase.

"Oh we're still in the Cheshire Cat's dimension, only we're in a different spot," Oz explained as if it was nothing.

"You did that didn't you?" Gilbert asked slowly.

"Yup!" Oz said cheerfully. "I told you that I learned more than sword handling from Jack in the Abyss."

A vein pulsed on Raven's head. _'His cheery attitude and whatnot is __really__ starting to get to me. He really hasn't changed much at all, has he?'_

"What are you doing here-nya?" a lazy voice asked.

Both men turned to see the Cheshire Cat hanging from a chandelier.

"We're here for Alice's memory or memories," Oz said without hesitation, "Whatever that may be here of Alice's life."

Cheshire snarled at Oz and Raven, but suddenly he charged at Gilbert and stopped to whisper in his ear. "Tell Raven it would've been a pleasure seeing him again-nya." And with that, he slashed his large claws across the black-haired man's chest, sending him tumbling over the railing into the dark depths of whatever lay below.

Cheshire was about to attack Oz when he froze. Cheshire's eye moved along Oz's form taking every detail in.

"You're…" Cheshire breathed in awe and disbelief.

Oz smiled lightly when he saw Cheshire recognizing him, or at least his appearance. Spotting a mirror, Oz slowly made his way to it as he kept his eyes locked onto Cheshire's eye.

"Cheshire," Oz said, giving the Chain a nod.

"How…?" Cheshire was able to choke out.

"That isn't important," Oz said, "But what _is_ important, is that Alice wants to have her memories back."

The Chain's red eye widened. His expression became furious and was about to lash out at Oz, when he felt as though he couldn't move his limbs or his body, with the exception of his head. Looking towards Oz, he saw the gold-haired man gave a small secretive smile.

"Now," Oz said, "I believe that you have another guest waiting for you."

Cheshire looked towards a second mirror and saw an unconscious Break floating within it. His eye widened as he saw the familiar man.

Oz looked into the mirror he stood in front of and saw Jack's reflections, staring back at his with a smile. He stepped into the mirror and once inside, before disappearing, he turned back to Cheshire, who'd gained control of his limbs once again, and said, "Try not to get yourself killed, hm? I'm sure Alice would be very disappointed when she remembers you, only to find out gone." And with that, Oz's image dissipated.

Turning to the mirror that held Break within, Cheshire flew straight into it.

* * *

Gilbert awoke to find himself in what looked like the courtyard at the Grand Estate. He, then, heard a very familiar melody.

Following the sound, he ran towards the source, only to see someone that looked quite familiar, and yet not.

"Gold hair…emerald eye…" Gilbert muttered, "Oz…?"

"No," the man said in Oz's voice, "I am Jack. Jack Vessalius." And with that, he closed the pocket watch he held.

"Actually, that would be me, my friend," Oz said leaping down from a tree to stand next to Jack.

Raven could do nothing but gape at the uncanny similarities between both men.

"I trust you remember me saying something about reincarnations?" Oz asked amused.

Gilbert shut his mouth and nodded.

"Well, I'm his reincarnation," Oz spoke bluntly, jutting out his thumb in Jack's direction.

"And I'm his incarnation!" Jack said cheerfully, jutting _his_ thumb in Oz's direction.

'_The both of them…'_ Gilbert thought with both a sweat-drop and a vein pulsing lightly on his forehead, _'At least I know where Oz get's his __attitude from.'_

* * *

Alice walked down the corridor looking around, until she say Jack in front of her, holding a hand out.

She brought her hand up to his, though hesitantly, and grasped his.

At that moment, she was sucked into what seemed like a void. Jack gathered her into his arms and held her.

'_Who are you to me, Jack? Why do I feel so comfortable around you? Is the reason why I'm calm around Oz, you?' _Alice thought, losing herself into her thoughts.

And all went black for the brown-haired girl.

* * *

Cheshire looked around to find himself in the gardens at Rainsworth Manor.

"Xerxes-nii-chan! Okaa-sama!" a voice called out.

Cheshire turned around, to see a little girl running towards two figures underneath the shade of an oak-tree, a book clutched to her chest.

Upon realization, he realized that the man whose head was in the elder woman's lap, was indeed Break, though a different form of him; a little younger perhaps, and injured.

The Chain raised its large paw up to the air, claws ready, and slashed it through the air towards Break, when said man suddenly woke up and deflected the attack.

Cheshire briefly noticed that the little girl and her mother dissolved into dust and sparks.

"So you finally show up, stupid cat," Break said rising to his feet, swinging his cane like a sword.

Hissing at him, Cheshire charged once more, only to see Break dodge him and his left side much lighter than it was before. Leaping back, he saw that Break had sliced off his left arm.

Not wanting to take any more chances, Cheshire slipped out of the dimension Break had created with his memories.

What he didn't anticipate was Break following him out through the mirror.

"If I never came, at cat like you would never have come out, now would you?" Break chuckled darkly as he stepped through the mirror, going from what he used to look like to how looked presently.

But the curious thing was that bandages were still wrapped around his head.

"Shall I teach you a little discipline while I'm here?" Break asked rhetorically as a black cyclone erupted behind him.

Cheshire gasped as he felt the familiar presence.

"Oh don't worry," Break said, pulling the wrapping around his head off, revealing an empty eye socket that had only a red glow in the center, "This is just a reward for my eye showing up in such in irritating fashion."

A silver chain with skulls and other trinkets attached to it; a black top hat with black roses, playing cards, red feathers and a blue ribbon and wrapped in thorny vines; a black cloak parted to reveal what seemed to be one large eye.

"M-Mad Hatter?" Cheshire said in disbelief.

"Now, I think it's time for your long overdue punishment, don't you think?" Break asked.

* * *

"So why are we here?" Gilbert asked.

Jack's expression turned serious, as did Raven's and Oz's, sensing the grave aura around Jack at the moment.

"It's Alice, isn't it?" Oz asked before Jack said anything.

Jack only nodded. "She's trapped in her memory, and frankly, it's a memory she never wanted to remember in the first place," Jack looked at the both of them, "It was this particular memory that made her want to forget everything."

"Where?" Oz asked.

"Her final memory," was all Jack said, causing Oz's breath to hitch.

"Unless you go after her, there is no way, that she will return," Jack said gravely, "She's trapped within her own memories. And even though she won't remember half of it or at all about the memory, that doesn't mean that she won't get flashes now and then; but that's only if she's saved. If she isn't she'll continues to drift until she's completely gone."

Oz's face told both men his answer before he even voiced it himself. "I'll do it."

"Hey," Gilbert said suddenly, "Why was the Cheshire Cat acting that way when Oz mentioned that stupid rabbit?"

Both men smiled.

"Maybe because—" Jack began.

"—he wants to be—" Oz continued.

"—the knight—" Jack resumed.

"—who protects his loved one until the very end," both gold-haired men finished together.

"Oh, that reminds me," Oz said suddenly, he turned to Jack," Do you mind letting me send Gil back to help Cheshire or at least tell Break not to be too hard on him? I have feeling that if he's fine, then Alice will be as well."

Jack thought about it for a moment, before nodding. "Do it quickly, though, we may not have much time left to save her."

Oz nodded and turned to Raven. "Gil, I need you to go back to Break. I know he's going to try and get something from Cheshire as well as extract a little revenge of his own. I need you to go and tell Cheshire that 'Jack says to give _it_ to Break, or Alice will be very sad if he's gone'. He'll know what I mean."

Gilbert only nodded.

"Take this," Oz reached down and plucked a small flower from the ground and placed it in his friend's hand.

"What this supposed to do?" Raven asked, looking at the small plant in his palm.

"This will take you back to Break and Cheshire once I'm gone," Oz explained, "Just think about Break and you'll find him."

Gilbert gave a nod.

"Now I think it's time for _me_ to leave, don't you think?" Oz asked Jack, who gave a nod.

"Think about Alice and say her name," Jack instructed.

Oz did as instructed and dissolved into tiny little bubbles.

"You sent him alone?" Gilbert exclaimed once his friend was gone.

"I can't do everything I want to do in this dimension," Jack explained, "My power is limited and sending Oz has used up the last ounce of power I had."

"After all," Jack said, "I'm not really a part of this dimension."

"What?" Raven asked. "Then what are you?"

"I'm a fragment of my own soul that was left behind in Alice's memories," Jack stated with hooded eyes.

* * *

Oz appeared in the hall of what looked like a grand castle.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his aura, seeking out Alice. His eyes snapped open and he ran in the direction he sensed Alice in.

Suddenly, as he reached the end of the hall, a wall of flames erupted in front of him.

When they died away, Oz saw numerous carcasses of women, children, men, even infants, covered in blood that was seeping from their deadly wounds.

"Out of all of her memories, it _had_ to be _this_ one, didn't it?" Oz whined. "It doesn't matter if I've seen this already, but it _still_ disgusts me to no end!"

'**-chuckle-**_**it's to be expected, Oz,'**_ came Jack's voice, _**'This was the most tragic and gruesome day in history. The Tragedy of Sabriél; the event that was called such, for the entire city was slaughtered before being sent to the Abyss by the Baskerville.'**_

* * *

"Sabriél?" Gilbert exclaimed. "You sent him to Sabriél? And during the Tragedy? ARE YOU MAD?" _'Wait, why'd I just ask him that? Of course he's mad!'_

"It's where Alice is and must be rescued from," Jack said, "Oz has already seen this, and it really isn't easy to see, nor watch."

"Don't you have to go now?" Jack asked.

Gilbert remembered Oz's orders and nodded, but before he could even begin thinking of Break, Jack said something that struck a chord deep inside him.

"At least you're still doing all you can to protect you master," Jack said, "Just as you always have."

Shaking himself out of his trance, Gilbert thought of Break and disappeared, leaving Jack with a melancholy smile upon his lips.

_What happened to both you and Alice on that day…' _Jack thought, _'Has left scars that may never heal, even with time.'_

* * *

Oz ran through the halls, until he saw a little boy, a younger version of Vincent Nightray, weeping , his hair and clothing drenched in blood.

" It wasn't my fault; I did it for Gil," Vincent hiccupped, "It was all for him." Then a maniacal grin spread over his lips and he began laughing. "But now everyone, the sky, the people, and even I are red! I didn't do anything! It was all _his_ fault! All _his_ fault!"

And with that, Vincent jumped off of the ledge and in the flames below.

Oz ignored it and went on searching for Alice, already knowing what he was going to find when he reached her.

He found the tower he'd been looking for and ran up the stairs to the topmost room.

There was where he found Alice, though not the way, he'd wanted to.

She was on the ground, covered in blood, a pair of scissors with fresh blood still dripping off of the blades.

A black cat was on the ground, dead as well, though with blood dripping down from his eyes, rather than a body wound.

And there stood Vincent, laughing as though he'd just won the chance of a lifetime.

'_It was until this moment that she had been human. It still doesn't matter if I've seen this, Alice nor Gil deserved what happened to either of them on this day, No one did,' _Oz thought as he looked away from the scene, a pained expression on his face.

* * *

Gilbert landed just as Break was standing over Cheshire, his cane to the Chain's throat.

"Wait!" Raven said, running over to them. "Cheshire Jack said to give _it_ to him, or Alice will be very sad if you're gone!" _'I can't believe I just said that_…_'_

Break looked up at the voice and Cheshire froze.

"Raven? What are you doing here?" Break asked, not moving from his position.

Cheshire, on the other hand, was having an internal battle. He didn't want to give _it_ to this man, but then again, this man won't hesitate to kill him for _it_ and he knows that when Alice remembers him, she'll be sad. Just like she used to be…

Lifting the only paw he had left, up, Cheshire loosened the bell around his neck and gave held it out to Break. "Take it-nya," he said, "_This_ is what you came for, isn't it-nya?"

Break looked surprised that Cheshire was simply handing over something, rather than fighting to keep it. But he took the bell, all the same, and tied it around his wrist.

"Why are you just giving this to me?" Break asked.

"Cheshire gives it only because Alice won't like it if Cheshire's gone," Cheshire said quietly, getting up, "Alice was always alone. If Cheshire's gone, she'll be alone again and sad, too-nya. Cheshire won't let that happen; never-nya."

* * *

A tremor ran through the tower.

Oz looked around and saw that everything was slowly dissolving.

He ran along the broken pathways provided when the entire scene was gone, when he saw Alice chained to what looked to be a wall at the top of a grand white staircase. He was about to run over when another tremor ran through the platform he stood upon.

He quickly jumped off of it and ran up the staircase as he leapt over gaps that were being created by the tremors.

"Alice!" Oz shouted over the noise. "Alice wake up! It's me, Oz!"

Alice slowly opened her eyes as the chains around her began dissolving. She saw Oz in front of her, his hand reaching out to her.

"Oz…" Alice choked out before she fell into his arms, crying like a newborn babe.

Oz found themselves falling and mentally kicked himself for not looking before acting, but he flipped in the air, Alice securely in his arms, before landing on the one platform that hadn't yet dissolved.

"Oz!"

"Alice-nya!"

Oz looked up at the voices, just as Alice did.

* * *

Just then there was a tremor.

The trio heard a crack and saw the mirrors starting to form cracks within them. Then, suddenly, thay all shattered one by one, as the ground formed cracks as well, the ground starting to dissolve from the cracks as another tremor, this one stronger, went through the room.

"What's happening?" Gilbert asked.

'_Is this Oz's power? Or could it be something else?' _Break thought.

"Alice-nya," Cheshire answered, looking to the mirrors.

Both men looked over at the Chain with an unasked question written in their eyes.

"Alice is trapped-nya," Cheshire said, "If she's not out, then she'll disappear, along with this dimension-nya."

"What connection does Alice have with this dimension?" Break asked curiously, albeit slowly.

"Alice's memories make up Cheshire's world-nya," Cheshire explained, "If Alice disappears, Cheshire's world goes, too-nya."

"We have to find Oz and Alice before it's too late," Gilbert said as Break nodded in agreement.

"Cheshire can find them. Cheshire knows," the Chain spoke up.

Both men looked at the Chain, debating whether or not they should trust the Chain, but the desperation and hidden loyalty in his eyes, proved their thoughts otherwise, so they nodded.

"Grab Cheshire," Cheshire ordered.

Break put a hand on Cheshire's left shoulder, while Gilbert grabbed the right.

Once both men had grabbed on, Cheshire's cape swallowed the trio and they were gone.

Cheshire and the two men landed to see Oz running up a staircase towards a chained Alice.

They saw Alice get into Oz's arms before both of them began falling. Oz flipped once in the air before landing on a platform near them.

"Oz!" Gilbert shouted.

"Alice-nya!" Cheshire cried out.

Oz and Alice looked up when they heard their names and smiled when they saw them.

But then, Oz saw the platform he and Alice were on cracking and dissolving just as the dimension did.

Cheshire, seeing that they would have no way to get off in time, disappeared with a swish of his cape. He reappeared next to Oz and Alice, who looked quite surprised to see him.

"Hold on to Cheshire-nya," Cheshire ordered once more.

Both nodded and grabbed a hold of his shoulders, one each. And once again, Cheshire disappeared with a swish of his cape, only to reappear next to Break and Raven.

"Oz!" Gilbert exclaimed as he rushed over and checked both his master and his Chain for injuries.

"Gil," Oz said, looking at his friend, "I'm fine, we're both fine."

Raven flushed a bit, and nodded.

"Alice-nya, are you alright-nya?" Cheshire asked, concernedly, checking her over for any injuries, just as Gilbert had done for Oz just seconds before.

Alice smiled at Cheshire and nodded. "You were my most precious friend…"

Cheshire looked astonished at first, but gave a smile and nod.

"We need to get out of here as fast as we can," Oz said, but just as he said that, the platform the group of five resided on split down the middle and a few chunks of the platform flew in other directions as well.

"Oz!" Gilbert shouted out as he tried to reach out to his master.

"Gil! Break!" Oz shouted, trying to reach out for his friend's hand.

"Alice-nya!" Cheshire shouted, disappearing and reappearing beside said girl and her Contractor.

Just then, Eques appeared next to Oz and Alice from his usual column of black. He whinnied and violet flames erupted behind the four before they expanded to create a frame for the multi-coloured portal that now filled the flame frame.

Break saw Eques and smiled.

Before anyone could say even a word, much less make a sound, Oz, Alice, and Cheshire were sucked into the portal.

* * *

Oz held onto Alice as Cheshire held them both, so that they'd stay together.

Oz began chanting inside his head and a faint white barrier surrounded the three of them, protecting them from anything that might be hurled their way.

And it seems that Oz was right to do so, for as they fell, they crashed right through the roof of a building.

But unfortunately, their bad luck had just landed them in a building in a room they shouldn't have been in at that very moment.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	11. Retrace 10: Truth, and Yet Not

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: I don't want anyone to be confused so, I'll just state this once more. I'll be alternating the use of the names 'Jack' and 'Oz' for Oz except when he's talking _to_ Jack himself. And of course you know that I'll be alternating the use of the names 'Raven' and 'Gilbert' for Gil.

Enjoy!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Truth, and Yet Not~Oo**

Oz opened his eyes, only to come face-to-face with his uncle's dumbstruck expression.

"Uncle Oscar?" Jack whispered quietly.

"Who are you!" a man demanded.

Oz noted that Cheshire was standing a pace or two behind him, his one arm poised for attack.

"It's the B-Rabbit!" someone whispered, causing many others to whisper about the Chain as well.

"Oz," Alice asked, "Where are we?"

"I would like to say that I know and placate you, but that would be lying," Jack said as he saw the doors of the room bust open to see many members of Pandora enter, coats, pistols and all.

Oz suddenly blanched as Cheshire just looked at Alice in slight fear.

"Wait," Oz said suddenly, "_Why_ are you in your Rabbit form?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Alice retorted. "I found myself like this. Did you something? _Can_ you do something?"

"I don't know what happened to make you go into your Rabbit form," Oz said, "But I can't do anything about it either with our current situation."

"What are you waiting for? Christmas?" the Leader of the group of Pandora members shouted. "Capture those rebels!"

(AN: I'm not going to describe the leader, so just watch episode 16 of the series. He's the guy with the dark brown hair and mustache.)

"You've come to assassinate the Four Dukes, haven't you, Black Rabbit?" the Leader said.

"The Four Dukes?" Jack said anxiously.

All the Pandora members split up, some getting those in the room out and some pointing their guns at the trio that had unceremoniously landed in the room.

'_Who are they?' _Oscar thought. _'The other two besides that young man would be Chains. The B-Rabbit and the other, I have no idea, but who is that young lad?'_ Oscar peered at Oz's face closely as he hid in the shadows, avoiding the Pandora associates. _'His face looks so familiar…he could've almost been Oz…' _He stood in the shadows as he watched what occurred.

"Oz," Alice asked, "Can't I just kill them off?"

Oz paled. "No! Absolutely not!"

* * *

Liam ran towards the conference room where he'd heard something had just happened.

'_Just __what__ is going on?_' he thought as he continued running.

His questioned was answered in the form of the B-Rabbit bursting through the doors of the conference room with a man sitting on one arm, a scythe in the other hand, and another Chain on its shoulder.

"Was that…" Liam muttered to himself, before heading in another direction, not noticing Oscar and the other Pandora associates following the two Chains and one man.

He was so engrossed within his thoughts that he never noticed a hand reaching out and grabbing him until he was dragged into a nearby room.

He gave a few cough before turning around to see Break.

"Xerxes you—" Liam began only to be shushed by Break, who pointed over to Gilbert who was resting on a couch, fast asleep.

"Gilbert-sama…?" Liam exclaimed.

"Not so loud, please," Break said, "We made him overdo it just a bit more than we anticipated. Just let him rest for now."

Liam noticed the navy-blue feathers on the couch beneath Raven. "He used Raven, didn't he?"

Break only nodded, before going over to pour himself a cup of tea.

"Things didn't go as planned there," Break said, "But tell me, has anything happened to Sharon-sama?"

Liam looked panicked right about now, but composed himself. "How…never mind. This may come as a shock to you, but Sharon-sama is currently missing. No one knows what has happened to her, but this hasn't exactly been brought out into the open yet."

"And to top that off, the B-Rabbit has just appeared moments before in the conference room with a man and another Chain!" Liam said alarmed. "Oh no! I'd better get over there! If I don't then I might be reprimanded!"

"Uptight, isn't he?" Break said as Liam practically flew out the door.

Break picked up his cup of tea, but paused before drinking it. _'This seems to be just a little too convenient. Oz-sama, Alice and the Cheshire Cat landing in the conference room in the middle of the meeting between the four dukes and other nobles. To do this on purpose…it must be a diversion!'_

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Break opened the door to where Sharon would usually have tea, only to see black roses without stems scattered everywhere, and on the tea table, amongst a few roses, there stood a black knight.

"Black roses and a black knight," Break said, picking up the chess piece, "Eques, isn't it?"

"That dirty Nightray carcass!" Break exclaimed, knocking the roses off of the table.

* * *

"How do we get out of here?" Alice asked as she flew through a hall, her scythe scraping against the wall as it broke through the small stone table-like structures that had vases upon them. "What is this place anyway?"

"I wouldn't know how to get out unless I knew where we were, Alice," Jack answered. "That man, though, he said something about the Four Dukes and a conference…but if the Four Dukes were gathered for a meeting, then…Don't tell me this is Pandora's headquarters?"

"Showing up the way we did in a place like this…it's no wonder they consider us enemies!" Oz exclaimed.

"That's a bad thing, isn't it-nya?" Cheshire asked as he held onto Alice's shoulder.

"Very bad for us if we don't do something about it!" Oz replied, almost hysterical.

'_**You've planted yourselves in quite the predicament, haven't you?' **_Jack laughed.

'_**Oi! Shut up, you! You're not being chased down by a bunch of guys who think you're some kind of rebel or Illegal Contractor that bent on assassinating the Four Dukes!' **_Oz retorted.

'_**True,'**_ Jack conceded, _**'But I'm not the one who's panicking or the one who's being chased.'**_

'_**Technically you are,' **_Oz replied, _**'You **__**are**__** me, and therefore, you are being chased, too…just not physically.'**_

Jack only laughed.

* * *

Gilbert woke up to find himself in a room he didn't fully recognize.

"Where's Oz…?" Raven mumbled, dazed.

Just then, he heard rapid footsteps going past the door. He looked out and saw that members of Pandora were rushing through to the ballroom.

"What's happening?" Gilbert asked a man he'd pulled aside.

"Two Chains and man had appeared in the conference room in the middle of the meeting between the Four Dukes, Gilbert-sama," the man answered before running to join his comrades.

"Two Chains and a man…?" Raven muttered before realizing just who they were referring to. "Oz!"

He ran as fast as he could to the ballroom. He couldn't afford to have Oz get into anymore trouble.

* * *

-Elsewhere-

"I knew it was you who took the Lady," Breaks said entering the garden, "Vincent Nightray."

"That was quicker than I thought it would be," Vincent said, continuing to snip roses off of their stems.

"This was the only place in Pandora where black roses bloom," Break answered, "That and the chess piece gave it away."

"Now as much as I'd like to chat," Break said, face becoming cold, "Return Sharon-sama immediately."

"Such a scary face!" Vincent mock-whined. "It wasn't like I was going to kill her. I only took her because there was something I wanted."

"Unfortunately, I have nothing that will suit the tastes of a lowly sewer rat like you," Break retorted.

"Oh, but I think you do Mr. Hatter, you liar," Vincent replied, lifting Break's sleeve to reveal Cheshire's bell, "Alice's memory that you took from the Cheshire Cat. The truth you've been searching for; the truth of what happened one hundred years ago."

"Well, then shall we have a deal, Mr. Hatter?" Vincent asked, smiling. "The Truth you desire above all, for your precious mistress?"

Break just mutinously at the blonde.

* * *

-Oz, Alice, etc.-

"Really, did they have to go as far as calling out their Chains?" Oz said quietly as he stood by Cheshire, Alice behind him, looking at the few Chains that had been summoned.

There was what looked like a white rocking horse with wings, and a flower with a snake's body for a stem and blades for petals.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just slaughter them all?" Alice asked, annoyed.

"Once again, no! Absolutely not!" Jack exclaimed quietly to his Chain. "It would only make thing worse than they already are!"

"There's nowhere for you to run!" the Leader shouted. "You're fools for trying to assassinate the Four Dukes!"

"And of course they won't listen to me," Oz muttered, "Well, at least _he_ won't."

"Enough chatter!" the Leader yelled. And with that his Chain, the strange flower, attacked by firing a ball of periwinkle flames at Jack, Cheshire and Alice.

Cheshire ripped through the attack with his remaining paw, making it dissolve into thin wisps of smoke.

It was at that moment that Gilbert entered the room, Oscar and Liam following only seconds after.

'_Great, now that practically everyone's here I can do what?' _Oz thought frantically. _'I can't give myself away without explaining, and if anyone finds out about me, then word will travel through Pandora, eventually reaching the Baskerville one way or another! What the hell am I supposed to do now?'_

'_**Tell them,' **_Jack said simply, _**'Tell them everything, but don't tell them who you really are. Go with our original idea, and use my name. Tell everyone about Glen, and everything else, but don't say too much or they'll suspect something. But first, I think you should recall Alice's power. She's getting a little more violent than I'd ever seen her in my life. And that won't help you in your situation.'**_

'_**Alright,' **_Oz responded, giving his incarnation a mental nod before composing himself.

While they were talking, however, the two Chains had moved closer to Jack and the two Chains that were with him.

The white horse fired two jets of blue from its wings towards Oz, Alice, and Cheshire.

Alice leapt up and sliced through both streams of blue with her scythe, before lifting her fist and shouting annoyed, "Bloody imbecile! You're just a stupid rocking horse!" And with that, she began swing her scythe once more, making both Chains dissolve into sparks and dust.

'_She has quite the temper when angry or annoyed, doesn't she?' _Oz thought, as he saw Alice raising her scythe upon the members of Pandora, before saying, "Don't do that, Alice."

Alice glanced at him and lowered her scythe, before finding her Rabbit form dissolving and leaving her in her humanoid form.

"A girl?" whispered the associates of Pandora.

"How…?" Alice muttered before seeing Jack and understanding.

"Don't be fooled by her appearance!" the Leader commanded. "It's still the B-Rabbit! Seize her! Seize them at once!"

Cheshire, seeing Alice in danger, appeared at her side before disappearing and reappearing at Oz's side.

"I've got you now!" the Leader shouted as he ran up the stairs to a hooded-eyed Oz.

_Timenta soltia  
Imenta soltia_

Oz lifted his head up, revealing his one visible emerald eye. "Do not touch me," he said with a piercing glare.

_Camare soltae  
Imenta soltae_

The Leader, surprised, stopped for split second, giving the gold-haired man enough time to flick the leader on his forehead, sending him tumbling down the stairs of the platform he stood upon.

_Amata ivera  
Samata ivera_

"Oz?" Alice murmured, looking at Jack as he stood in both a commanding manner with a mysterious air to him. She took a look at his face and realized that he was being 'Jack', but not in the usual way; no, this was much more serious than that.

_Camare soltae  
Imenta soltae_

"Oz?" Raven muttered under his breath, not knowing that Oscar was just a few feet from him and, therefore, heard Gilbert's mutter.

'_Oz?'_ Oscar thought, looking at Jack with slight hope in his eyes. _'I'm pretty sure I heard Gilbert say 'Oz', but then that would mean…Oh ho! That lad's got a lot of explaining to do when I'm through with him!'_

_Timenta soltia  
Imenta soltia_

Alice stepped up to Jack, Cheshire behind her if needed, and tugged his sleeve discreetly behind his back, and looked up at him, a question in her eyes.

_Àdias martia  
Tomira castia_

Jack granted a small inconspicuous glance to Alice, telling her that he was fine and that everything would be alright. And with that, Cheshire wrapped his remaining arm around Alice in a comforting embrace.

_Amarta soltae  
Libera soltae_

"Calm thyselves, thou who serve the Four Dukes," Jack ordered to the members of Pandora below before stating, "Have no fear, I shan't harm thou, and neither am I thy foe."

_Amata ivera  
Samata ivera_

"I speak now so that I may impart a message of the utmost importance," Jack continued.

_Camare soltae  
Imenta soltae_

"Who are you?" Liam asked simply, though in fear or awe, no one could tell.

_Àdias martia  
Tomira castia_

Outside, clouds parted in the dark night sky, revealing the full moon. The light of the glowing orb shone down upon Jack through the window, giving him a mystifying and mysterious appearance.

_Amarta soltae  
Libera soltae_

"I am Jack," Jack began quietly, though loud enough for all to hear; but as he continued, his voice grew louder and forceful, "He who crossed swords with the Baskervilles one hundred years ago and beheld the Tragedy of Sabrièl with his own eyes; Jack Vessalius!"

_Martia ifivō  
Cantà_

Those of Pandora looked on at Jack with shock and awe.

Gilbert stared at his friend wide-eyed, eyes containing shock he could express into words, and mouth slightly open.

Oscar could only look on in uncontained shock and awe, though his disappointment could be seen clearly in his eyes.

Alice looked at Jack in awe, as did Cheshire.

'_I know everything that Oz told me wasn't a lie,' _Raven thought, _'But I still have trouble believing it! Right now, he looks more like Jack than Oz!'_

"Jack…" Liam whispered.

"…Vessalius?" Oscar finished in shock.

"I apologize for the disturbance," Jack began, "But please listen to what I must say, so that we may prevent the Tragedy of Sabrièl from occurring once more!"

By now every single face in the room was wearing a mask of shock, with the exception of Alice, who didn't really know what Jack was speaking of.

"As youu may have known and heard," Jack stated, "I confronted the head of the Baskerville House, Glen Baskerville. And it is I who declares this unto you," Jack walked a few paces to his right before turning back to the crowd below, and jutting out his left arm, hand palm-down, "Glen Baskerville is not dead! He _will_ come forth once more from where he resides to bring calamity to this land once more."

Although everyone was shocked at information, the Leader refused to believe anything he was hearing. "Just what do you take us for? Fools?" The Leader asked indignantly. "The head of the Baskervilles still alive? Wh—" his little triad was cut off by a piercing look that Jack had thrown at him.

'_A look as sharp as that is impossible to ignore,'_ Liam thought, _'But there seems to be something a bit off with "Jack". I won't deny he looks like him, from whatever photos or portraits that had been found, but with the small changes to his appearance. If I didn't know any better, he looks almost like…Oz-sama! Had Oz-sama been here, he would probably look like a spitting image of Jack Vessalius himself. I wonder though, is this really Jack or an imposter using the name?'_

'_What is Oz up to? Despite the fact that he's playing up his part as the hero of a hundred years ago.'_ Gilbert thought.

"I understand that it is difficult to believe," Jack conceded, "But it is the undeniable truth. As you know, the Baskervilles' objective was to obtain the Will of the Abyss. It was for that purpose that they sought out sacrifices to offer to the Abyss, and thus perpetrated the slaughter at Sabrièl."

"Sacrifices?" one person questioned.

'_So that was the purpose of the Tragedy,'_ Liam thought.

'_**You Liam Lunettes, correct?'**_ came a voice inside Liam's head.

Startled, Liam looked around to see who'd spoken, only to realize that whoever had spoken, had spoken through his mind.

He hesitantly answered back. _**'Yes, I am.'**_

'_**Do not be frightened, I mean no you harm,' **_the voice said, _**'I am Oz Vessalius, but currently, I am speaking to this entire crowd with the name "Jack Vessalius".'**_

Shocked, Liam looked up at Jack who was standing there, his back to the silent crowd, looking up at the sky through the window he stood a few feet from.

'_**Oz-sama?'**_ Liam asked, not wanting to believe it, _**'Is it really you?'**_

'_**Yes,'**_ came Oz's voice, _**'But that is a story for another time. Now, I know this is a shock, but you are th eonly other person I know I can trust with my identity. Say not a word to anyone; all will be explained in time.'**_

'_**Do you need me to do anything?' **_Liam asked.

'_**Not at the moment, but you will know when,'**_ Oz answered before withdrawing from the man's mind.

Jack, then, turned around and gave a subtle nod to Liam, signaling him to continue the tale.

"At a great cost to themselves, the former Four Dukes managed to put an end to Glen's ambition and the Baskervilles disappeared without a trace," Liam stated as he walked forwards up to Jack. "But after a hundred years, their silence was broken; at that Coming-of Age Ceremony ten years ago."

Liam turned around to face the crowd. "This man is the hero of the Tragedy that struck a hundred years ago! It is him without a doubt, and yet it is not! But nonetheless, he is someone that can be trusted."

"If he's the hero of the Tragedy of Sablièr," a man asked, "Then where was he all these years? Why did he come only now?"

"I was pulled into the Abyss," Jack explained, "I resided there until I felt that it was time to find my way out, as I'd been wandering around the Abyss ever since I'd gotten there. I formed a Legal Contract with the B-Rabbit, and used her power to escape from the Abyss."

By now, everyone but Gilbert and Alice were looking at Jack in awe, though Cheshire concealed his by only letting it show through his eye.

"Coming-of-Age Ceremony?" the Leader muttered before shouting, "Wait the Silent Clock Tower! It moved again after the Chosen touched it! That's what caused the Baskervilles to come out again?"

"That's right," Liam answered, "And not only is the hero of the Tragedy here, but Oz Vessalius-sama is also nearby!"

"What?" the Leader shouted. "Where?"

"I don't know where but I've found out that he is somewhere near," Liam said.

As Liam spoke, Jack began descending the steps towards the chestnut-haired man.

'_Something isn't right,' _Oz thought, _'Why do I feel so weak?'_

**'You used too much energy,' **Jack replied, _**'You placed a barrier around you, Cheshire and Alice; then you sealed away Alice's power, which take quite a toll, and **__**then**__** you reached out to Liam's mind. All of that combined will make you feel the way you are at the moment.'**_

At the last step, however, Jack slipped, and was falling, before Raven caught him.

"Are you alright?" Gilbert asked.

"Gil," Oz said, "I don't have much time left, tell Uncle Oscar and Liam I shall speak with them tomorrow, alright?"

Raven nodded as Alice came running to Jack with Cheshire right behind her.

Alice silently asked with her eyes if he was alright, and Jack reassured her, telling her he was fine, just a little tired.

Standing up straight once more, Jack looked out to the crowd and said, "Thou who serve the Four Dukes, I speak to you once more; Glen Baskerville is not dead. The aim of the Baskervilles is to obtain the four Doors which Pandora possess, as well as to find their lord once more. And to once again, pass the Tragedy of Sabrièl upon this very ground!"

Jack looked to Liam and nodded.

"This man is a duke of an Archduke family," Liam said, "He will be the one to bring about the end of the Baskervilles once and for all. We must protect him so that a second Tragedy will never occur," Liam's voice raised as he shouted forcefully, "That is the rightful duty of the knights that serve the Four Houses!"

And with that, Liam kneeled down on one knee in front of Jack.

Soon everyone in the room with the exceptions of Alice, Gilbert, Oscar, and Cheshire kneeled down in front of Jack.

"Thank you, everyone," Jack said before collapsing.

* * *

Jack woke up to find himself in a bed he'd never slept in; in a room he'd never seen in his life. When he heard light snoring, he looked down on the bed to see Alice with her head resting on the bed just as it did when he woke up at Rainsworth Manor and Gilbert was also in the same position, though at the opposite side of the bed. Oz felt another weight, this time on his lap, and saw Cheshire in his feline form, snoozing on his legs.

"At least Gil made it back safely," Jack said before wincing after remembering how Cheshire'd attacked him.

Just, then, he heard a knocking sound, he looked over and saw Break hanging onto the window as he stood in the sill outside, as though he were a spider.

"Hello there!" the white-haired man said cheerfully.

Oz sighed, "So Break made it back as well."

Seeing Oz's face, Break's smile fell. "Eh? What's with the conspicuously crestfallen expression?"

Oz stepped out of bed as carefully as he could and placed Cheshire and Alice on the bed while he draped a blanket over Gilbert.

Jack grabbed a cloak and stepped out onto the terrace where Break was waiting with a tea table already set up and a cart full of sweets.

"Did you get what you'd wanted?" Jack asked, sipping his tea.

"I did," Break answered, "Only to lose it in an exchange."

Jack said nothing, but continued to sip his tea as he stared at Break, who stared right back, both not blinking.

"You saw something, didn't you?" Break asked.

"Why don't we have an information exchange?" Break suggested. "If you tell me of what you saw at the Cheshire Cat's dimension, I'll respond to your questions."

Oz thought about it for a moment before agreeing.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"What you are trying to say is that you've seen everything that you saw in that world already?" Break asked curiously.

Oz nodded.

"Are you going to have that?" Break asked, pointing to Jack's plate that held a small chocolate pastry.

"You're still hungry?" Jack asked astonished as he handed over the sweet.

"I suppose you'll want to know that Vincent Nightray was there," Oz stated.

"Just as I'd assumed," Break said. "He was saying, 'it wasn't my fault', wasn't he?"

Oz gave a nod.

"So that's how it is," Break said, completely massacring the pastry until it was all over the plate in chunks and such, "The dirty rat."

Oz sweat-dropped at what Break had done to the pastry before said man had picked the plate up and practically shoved it into his mouth.

Oz nodded. "Although I already know the events of the Tragedy, I suppose you'll also want to know that Ali was there as well. She died at the Tragedy."

"Alice-san's death and a young Vincent Nightray," Break muttered, before saying, "I suppose that I'm satisfied for now."

"You may be, but I'm not," Oz stated.

"Alright, then, as whatever you wish," Break said.

"Why do you desire to know the events of what happened a hundred years ago?" Oz asked seriously.

"Can't tell," Break said, causing Oz to sigh in exasperation.

"I knew you'd say something akin to that."

"Oh don't get all upset Great Hero-sama," Break said.

"What do you mean by that?" Oz asked.

"While you slept that's all Pandora talked about," Break explained, "How the fabled hero has come back to slay the Baskerville just as he did a hundred years before."

"I know I'm not really Jack Vessalius," Oz said, "But technically, I am him and yet not."

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Be careful around Vincent Nightray," Break said as he stopped at the terrace entrance, carrying the teapot and dishes on his head while holding a cup of sugar cubes, as Oz pushed the cart back inside.

"as you know and have seen," Break said, "There is a possibility of him being involved in the Tragedy of Sabrièl. His greatest fear is of other finding out about it."

"I already know all of that," Oz said, as he sweat-dropped watching Break eat the sugar cubes quickly, "But I don't think I mentioned that it was Vincent who killed Alice, did I?"

At that Break stopped and looked at a smirking Oz. "You little brat. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Of course," Oz smirked before it fell from his face, "Where has Vincent gone?"

"He's gone to visit some friend's of his back at Nightray Manor," Break said, frowning, "I really don't know about anyone who would want to hang out with someone like him."

Oz's expression was blank. "I'll give you a hint: Maroon Robes."

* * *

-Vincent-

Vincent walked down the halls, a shadow crossing over his eyes, giving him a malevolent appearance.

He opened a door and entering a room with three maroon-robed figures.

"Yo! Sorry for being late!" Vincent said cheerfully.

* * *

Song Used: "Pandora Hearts" by Yuki Kajiura

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	12. Retrace 11: Family Reunion

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: I don't want anyone to be confused so, I'll just state this once more. I'll be alternating the use of the names 'Jack' and 'Oz' for Oz except when he's talking _to_ Jack himself. And of course you know that I'll be alternating the use of the names 'Raven' and 'Gilbert' for Gil.

Enjoy!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Family Reunion~Oo**

"Vincent kidnapped Sharon-san, didn't he?" Oz asked as he walked alongside Break. "He had you destroy the memory in exchange for her life."

Break looked at Oz seriously before nodding.

"I have to go and explain everything to Uncle Oscar and Liam!" Oz whined. "I hate talking about the same things more than once! And not only that, but Uncle will have a fit!"

Break laughed. "Well, you can't blame me for that, since you took it upon yourself to do what you did last night."

Jack only grumbled as Break entered Sharon's room to check up on her.

(AN: Unlike in the anime where it shows Breaks past with the Rainsworths a bit and Sharon's kidnapping and such, I'm not going to elaborate on it nor will I broach the subject unless I have to.)

"Actually it wasn't my fault, it's was Jack's idea," Oz muttered, as he continued walking.

Jack kept walking until he stopped outside of the room where his uncle and Liam were in. He composed himself before opening the doors and walking in.

Oscar and Liam were discussing whatever Jack was going to speak with them about, and therefore were slightly startled when he made his entrance and stood by the window, his back to the two men in the room.

After what seemed to be hours of silence, Oscar spoke up. "What did you call us here for, Jack-san?"

"I came to explain," Jack said, "Thought it is difficult finding a place to begin."

"I find the beginning the best place to start," Liam stated.

"Ah, but I have more than one beginning," Oz said, "So it is difficult to explain, but nonetheless, I shall begin."

"Ten years ago a young lad fulfilled the prophecy of the Silent Clock Tower at his Coming-of-Age Ceremony," Jack began. "Unfortunately, on that day, the Baskervilles had broken their one-hundred-year silence. They sent the lad into the Abyss for a sin he didn't know of. There in the Abyss, he met someone; someone who helped him live in the Abyss and taught him many things. For what seemed to be only days for him, the lad grew as the years went by in this dimension, and went about exploring the dimension he was trapped in. He learned many things while wandering around the dark world, until the one who'd helped him told him it was time to leave.

"The lad managed to find the B-Rabbit and form a legal contract with her, with help, of course. They appeared at the chapel where the lad's Coming-of-Age Ceremony was held. Three people were there and saw him, but didn't recognize him because he didn't look like a fifteen-year-old boy any longer, he was a full grown twenty-five-year adult. He and his Chain then joined the three who'd seen him arrive. What they never knew, until he revealed it, was that the name he used was a false name that was true in a way."

"Where are you going with this?" Oscar asked before the door opened to reveal Alice with Cheshire in her arms.

She looked around the room and when she spotted Jack, she ran over to him.

Jack, seeing Alice out from the corner of his eyes, turned to her with a gentle smile as he ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle.

"The lad had lived with two identities for a while now and has never spoken of it to anyone except a few. Then one night, he crashed into the Pandora Headquarters in the middle of the meeting between the Four Dukes, causing quite the reaction. The lad introduced himself using the name of his incarnation; the one was proclaimed the hero of the Tragedy of Sabrièl," Jack finished.

Both men sat in silence, digesting everything that they'd heard.

Oz turned and left the room in search of Alice, Gilbert, and Cheshire. He walked down the hall until he reached the second to last door on his right.

He opened the door to Gilbert leaning on a sofa, smoking a cigarette, Alice was eating a few pastries and Cheshire was drinking some cream, in his usual form, of course, not his feline one.

They all looked up at him when he entered the room.

"You told them, then?" Raven asked.

Oz only nodded.

Oz, then, saw Cheshire's one arm, and remembered that Break had taken the other out. "Cheshire," he called.

Said Chain looked up at the call of his name.

"Cheshire," Oz repeated, "I can give you your arm back, if you'd like. I'm sure it's strange not to have both."

Cheshire mulled the idea over before agreeing to let Oz do whatever he was going to do.

Oz placed one hand on Cheshire's left shoulder as it glowed a bright white.

Everyone watched in fascination as Cheshire's hand slowly regenerated.

"There you go," Oz said cheerfully, "Your arm's back and now you won't be a three-legged cat anymore!"

The next thing he knew, Oz was massaging a large bump, courtesy of Cheshire.

"What as _that_ for?" Oz exclaimed.

"Cheshire was getting annoyed-nya," the Chain said simply.

Jack only glared at the cat Chain.

But that was before Oscar barged into the room.

"Oz!" Oscar called as he made his way to his nephew and gathered him in a strong embrace.

Oz stiffened unconsciously before relaxing into his uncle's embrace.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Why didn't you ever say anything when you first came back?" Oscar asked as they all sat down for a cup of tea and some sweets that were provided.

"It was originally not my plan to show up where I did," Oz said, "I didn't plan on telling anyone who I was, until I felt that it would be for the best if only a few people know."

"But what about your real identity?" Oscar asked. "What'll you do if it leaks out?"

"I'll probably admit it or I'll make up some story," Jack shrugged.

Jack felt a tug on his coat. He looked to see Alice pulling on it slightly. "What is it?"

"Who is he, Oz-ni—" Alice began before cutting herself off and flushing.

But Jack had caught what she was about to say and smiled gently. "It's alright to call me that."

A brilliant smile spread across the brown-haired girl's lips.

"And to answer your question," Jack said, "This is my uncle, Oscar Vessalius. Uncle, this is Alice, or otherwise known as the B-Rabbit. The other Chain you see is the Cheshire Cat."

Oscar had been watching what was going on between Alice and Oz and smiled at the way his nephew treated the young girl.

"Uncle," Oz asked, "What's that in your hand?"

Oscar looked down at his hands to see a letter.

He stared at it.

And stared at it.

"AHHHH!" Oscar burst out. "This was the original reason I came! I need your help! PLEASE!"

"What's the matter?" Oz said, but was ignored as he, Gilbert, and Alice were forced into what looked to be uniforms of some sort.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The male version of the uniforms consisted of a pair of white flat-front pants, a white ascot-collared dress-shirt, a black waist-coat, a white bowtie, a white tailcoat, white gloves, and a pair of white dress shoes.

The female's version consisted of a white pleated thigh-length skirt, a white dress shirt, a black waistcoat, a pair of white mid-thigh-high stockings, a pair of white Mary Janes, and a white bow tied around the neck.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Yeah, they suit you quite well," Oscar commented.

Oz looked to Alice and saw her hair had been tied up in two long pigtails with white bows and Cheshire was in his feline form with a white bow around his neck.

'_I have a feeling that this isn't going to turn out well,' _Oz thought, alarmed.

'_**Ah, don't be that way!' **_Jack exclaimed. _**'Though I **__**would**__** take a change of clothes…'**_

'_**I'll keep that in mind,' **_Oz said.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this, Oscar-sama?" Raven exclaimed as the carriage moved on. "Just where are you taking us?"

"This is a mission," Oscar replied, "an important mission that only we can accomplish."

He held up the envelope. "This is letter from Latowidge Academy."

"Latowidge Academy?" Alice asked.

"It's one of the three only dormitory schools for nobles in this country," Oz explained to his Chain as she stroked Cheshire, who was curled up in her lap.

"Yes," Oscar said, "But anyhow, right now, our little Ada is studying there!"

Jack froze at the name; a name he hadn't heard in a long time, but had thought about constantly.

"Who's Ada?" Alice questioned.

"Ada is my…little sister," Jack replied, before turning to Alice, "She's only a year older than you are, actually."

"You have a sister?" Alice asked.

Jack just smiled in reply.

"The problem, however," Oscar said, "lies within this letter."

Jack took the envelope from his uncle and began reading it.

"'To my dearest uncle'," Oz began.

"Mhmm," Oscar hummed in reply.

"'Today's a beautiful day."

"What day is 'today'? She could have at least put a date in."

"'The beef kidney pie I had in school is still delicious.'"

"Ah! I love that as well."

"'Somehow it made all of the boys cry.'"

"Haha! Those boys are stupid."

"'P.S: I've found someone I love.'"

When he gained no response, Jack looked over to see a dark aura hanging over his uncle while Gilbert cringed away.

"So you found someone you love," Oscar said darkly, "UNCLE WILL NEVER ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN! That's why this is an emergency!"

"Then…don't tell me…" Jack began weakly.

"The reason for dressing up like this is…" Raven continued equally as weak.

"Exactly!" Oscar exclaimed, finishing the statement. "We are going to sneak into the school and confirm the contents of the letter!"

'_I knew I would need to do this,' _Oz thought as he snapped his fingers and his clothing as well as Alice's and Gilbert's became their usual clothing.

(AN: Alice's normal stuff; Gilbert's black coat, black hat with gun ensemble; and the clothes that Oz is wearing are described in the chapter labeled "Escape". But the coat Oz is wearing will be dark-green with gold lining and fastenings. I don't know if I mentioned this either, but the boots Oz is wearing will be heeled; about 1½ inches at the most.)

Cheshire, however, was still wearing the white bow around his neck.

Alice and Gilbert looked gratefully at Oz.

"WHAT?" Gilbert exclaimed, panicking, "You want us to sneak into the school? Why can't we get in the official way?"

"We don't have much time!" Oscar said, causing everyone to look at him as though he'd grown another head. "And besides, that's not exciting at all!"

Everyone, including Cheshire, did an anime-fall at that.

Oscar pressed two hands on two different blocks on the brick wall and pressed them in.

While he was doing so, Jack, Alice, and Raven as well as Cheshire snuck past him to the gates of the school, where they walked through until they found the front desk and were given small slips of paper, identifying them as visitors.

Oscar looked back at the quartet, only to find them gone. He sighed and decided to do what they did and get a visitor's pass as well.

Oscar met up with the quartet outside of the building and glared at them.

The group of four only shrugged as they walked around the school…at least they tried to until Oscar pulled a rather stupid stunt.

Oz and Gilbert looked at Oscar in shock and complete horror when they saw him, a grown man, dressed in the males' uniform!

"Hey everyone!" Oscar said cheerfully to a few female students that were walking in their direction.. "What's up? It's such a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Who's this old man?" one of the girls whispered.

"Maybe he's…a pervert!" another girl screamed, before they all screamed and ran away from Oscar.

"Uncle, that looks positively ridiculous on you," Jack said, shaking his head while Raven nodded in agreement.

Just, then, a whistle, blew, alerting the group that they were either in trouble or were going to be very soon!

They all started running away but get separated after a while.

* * *

"What's with all the noise?" a boy asked.

"It seems that there's an intruder on campus," another informed, "Elliot."

"Hn," the one known as Elliot grunted.

* * *

Gilbert and Oscar sat on the floor of the library, Oscar lighting a cigarette and Gilbert trying to catch his breath.

"We got separated from Oz and the other two," Gilbert said.

"There's no need to worry about them," Oscar replied, "Oz is the kind of person who'd enjoy a situation like this, that is, if he hasn't changed too much."

"He hasn't changed that much," Gilbert muttered, "But would he even like being in a situation like this, _now_?"

"Really," Oscar responded, "it's alright if he'd be a little happier. From what I've heard and learned, Oz, really hasn't had the chance to have fun in a long time."

"Is that the reason why we came here?" Gilbert asked.

But instead of answering his question, Oscar only said, "Look, she's found us already."

Before Raven could think about his statement, a little white cat with a red ribbon around its neck pounced onto Gilbert's head and hung onto him with his bangs.

"NO! N-NEKO!" Raven cried out, flailing his arms around like mad fish.

"No smoking on campus!" a sweet voice called, "You can never escape Snowdrop's nose, even if you hide and smoke!"

Gilbert was still flailing, but eventually gave up and slumped to the ground, tears still sliping down his cheeks.

"Yo! Miss Prefect!" Oscar greeted the young girl.

"Uncle Oscar?" the girl questioned in shock.

* * *

Alice, Oz, and Cheshire wandered into an empty classroom.

"Cheshire," Jack said, "You can turn back for a while now, if you want, no one will come."

And so, Cheshire did just that. He switched back into his humanoid form.

"My, it seems that we've lost both Uncle and Gil," Jack said in his usual happy-go-luck tone, "It's alright, though, they'll find us sooner or later."

Jack took a seat on one of the windowsills, one leg up and on arm propped up on that leg's knee, while the other was hanging down with his other arm resting on the thigh of that leg.

"It's been quite a while since I've have fun like this," Jack stated, looking out the window, the sunlight making his only visible emerald eye glow.

"But you don't see really happy," Alice said, perching herself on a desk across from him, Cheshire sitting on the ground as a cat does and groomed himself.

Jack turned to Alice and looked at her.

"Oz-nii-chan, do you hate seeing you little sister?" Alice asked.

Oz blinked. "You can be quite sharp when you'd like to be," Oz commented.

"Oz-nii is mean!" Alice exclaimed hitting Oz on his head repeatedly.

"It's a comment!" he said quickly to avoid getting hit any longer.

"I don't hate her," Jack said turning back to look out the window, "I'll be happy to see her. But…I must admit that I am a little frightened."

* * *

"You said Onii-chan is here…?" the girl asked. "How…? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Ada, dear, I only found out today," Oscar said.

"I'm not ready yet!" Ada exclaimed.

"I know this is very short notice, but we needed to come today," Oscar said, scratching the ear of a little brown cat that was lying on his head.

Snowdrop mewed from Oscar's shoulder at Raven who had immediately blanched and slumped to the ground once again at that.

"Y-Yes, but I've grown," Ada said.

* * *

"And for all I know," Jack continued, "she may feel scared to meet someone she hasn't had contact with in over ten years. She may even think that I'm still a fifteen-year-old boy, that is if anyone has explained the time-warp concept of the Abyss."

"She was very young when we were separated," Oz said, "She may have forgotten about me by now."

* * *

"It's been ten years!" Ada exclaimed, trying to make both men understand. "I've changed and grown, and I don't look anything like I used to…what if…what if he say 'this isn't Ada!'?"

"Oz would never do that," Gilbert comforted, "You should know, you're his sister, just as I'm his servant and friend. Therefore, at least accept the chance to meet him."

No one noticed the little brown kitten run off in another direction.

* * *

Cheshire stood up when he heard something coming their way.

He stood a few feet from the door, only to see a little brown kitten sprinting over. Cheshire picked the little creature up and started to coo at it as he sat down once again and gently scratched behind its ears and played with it.

"Oz-nii," Alice said, "Sorry, but: You're really starting to act like an idiot! I don't know much about relationships and family, but I know that she's your sister and if you just be yourself, then everything will be just fine!"

Jack looked at Alice in surprise before she skipped off to play with Cheshire and the kitten.

Jack turned back to the window as he mulled over what Alice had said.

Cheshire than heard another sound, this time a voice along with footsteps.

"Snow! Where are you going?" the voice called.

Ada entered the room behind a little white kitten.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

She had waist-length gold hair, emerald eyes, and the figure of a maturing fourteen-year-old girl.

She wore a females' uniform of Lutowidge Academy, and her hair was tied up on two sides with thin red ribbons with the rest of her hair down.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Ada stood in shock as she watched a girl, and what looked like a human cat play with her kittens.

Oscar and Gilbert panted as they ran to catch up with Ada. They looked around the room before they spotted who they were searching for.

"Oz!" Oscar exclaimed.

Ada looked to where her uncle was looking and was shocked at what she saw.

Oz's head whipped around at hearing his name and the gasp, making his hair fly around him a bit. His eye widened as he took in the slightly familiar features of the girl.

Jack stood up and walked to where Cheshire and Alice were, standing a few feet behind them.

Ada's eyes widened as she took in the sight of her older brother, who stared right back at her.

"Onii…chan?" Ada asked.

"A…da," Jack said, almost as though the name were foreign.

By now Alice was looking at the two, while still playing with the kittens of course, and watched what happened.

Neither said anything until Ada broke the silence. "I was shocked," she said, "You don't look like the way you did anymore."

"Time does that to us, love," Oz chuckled.

Meanwhile, behind Ada, both Oscar and Gilbert were making motions for her to keep going, although she couldn't see them.

"You still remember me, then, Ada?" Jack asked.

"Of course I do!" Ada exclaimed. "Onii-chan was always so tall and gentle!**-a flash of Oz holding Ada's hand as they walked flashed through her mind-**And more handsome and cool than anyone else!"

Oz smiled slightly. "It seems as though I am a bit exaggerated in your memories."

"But I think that Onii-chan is just fine!" Ada said. "You're taller and look much different than in my memories, but you're here and that's all that matters! I can talk to you and I can touch you!"

Jack's eye widened.

"I missed you Onii-chan! I missed you!" Tears cascaded down Ada's cheeks. "I still love you as much as I did and even more!"

"Onii-chan!" she cried out as she threw herself into her brother's arms, her face buried in his chest as much as she could (she only came up to just below his chest). "Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"

"Finally!" Oscar wept, as Raven supported him to stand, smiling all the while.

Oz was surprised at her actions, but smiled once he realized something. _'She really hasn't changed as much as I thought she'd have. Thank you, Ada.'_ He wrapped his arms around his younger sister and let her cry as much as she needed to.

"Jack-nii?" Alice asked as they both parted.

"Oh that's right," Oz said, "Ada, this is Alice, she's only a year younger than you."

Ada nodded and smiled at Alice while the brown-haired girl flushed and gave a stuttered hello.

"Jack-nii is an important person to me!" Alice told Ada. "He's doing something for me, just like I'm doing something for him, but you WILL NOT interfere with our mission!"

Jack blinked at Alice's complete emotional 360 while Raven and Oscar stared slack-jawed at the usually nice girl, Cheshire was still playing with the kittens, and poor Ada was blinking in confusion.

"Oi! Baka-Usagi!" Gilbert spoke up. "Oz is _MY_ Master!"

"Shut up Seaweed-Head!" Alice shot back at the black-haired man.

Both, then, proceeded to each pull one of Oz's arms, tugging him back and forth between them.

"Ah," Oscar said, "This is quite the surprise. I never knew that Alice was like that. But no matter, it seems like they're getting along."

He walked up to the three and grabbed Alice's head first, then Gilbert's and said, with a threatening aura behind him, mind you, "You didn't forget the reason we came here, did you?"

"Wait," Ada said, "Then you're the intruders in the school causing all the chaos?"

"Actually," Jack said, "We have visitor's passes**-everyone took out their slips of paper and showed them to Ada before putting them away-**, but Uncle decided to act like a pervert, and thus causing the alarm to sound."

Oscar glared at Jack, but he only smiled and waved back.

"We really wanted to see you, Ada," Oscar whined.

"Actually," Oz spoke up, "Uncle was the one that wanted to see you so desperately. Gilbert, Alice and I were dragged into this mess. I didn't even know that you went to this school until we arrived here!"

Oscar threw Oz another dirty look, to which Oz just responded by waving.

"Oh well, it can't be helped," Ada said, "Gil, too, I haven't talked with you like this in a while."

"Yeah, you're right," Raven said.

Oz and Oscar looked at each other.

"Do you wearing the hat I gave you?" Ada asked.

"Yes! Of course I am!" Gilbert answered eagerly.

"Hat…?" Oz and Oscar said together, before they realized which hat the two were talking about.

"That was…" Oz began, going into 'overprotective brother-mode'.

"…Ada's present?" Oscar finished.

"Uncle…please don't tell me…" Oz began.

"Stay calm!" Oscar whispered to Oz. "I know what you're going to say, but first, stay calm! If this is true…"

Gilbert looked at the two Vessalius males and started sweating as he felt the dark aura emanating from both of them.

"Ada," Oscar said in a sing-song voice, "we came to ask you about the 'P.S' in the letter."

Gilbert was looking at Oscar wondering just what the hell he was doing, before he remembered just what his master's uncle was doing.

"Eh? The 'P.S?'" Ada asked. "That's…" she glanced at Gilbert before looking at him and giving him a dreamy look that he was completely oblivious to.

Oz and Oscar felt like the life was just sucked right out of them.

Gilbert was wondering what was going on, and when he looked at the two Vessalius males, he immediately regretted doing that.

Oscar shouted menacingly as he popped in front of Gilbert's face with his own dark expression that promised pain. "I knew it was you! You better be prepared!"

Oz, on the other hand looked calm. He smiled at Gilbert with his eyes closed and said, "You won't get away that easily, Gil. Be prepared to die!" _'Even though I know it isn't Gil, there's no reason not to mess with him!'_

And with that, Oz and Oscar began chasing Gilbert out of the classroom. Cheshire became a cat again and hopped into Alice's arms as she and Ada followed the two Vessalius men.

"Wait!" Ada called after them.

* * *

"It looks we lost them again," Alice commented as she and Ada caught up with Oz, Cheshire napping in Alice's arms.

Jack began laughing. "I haven't had this much fun in over ten years, now! It feels just like when we were younger again, right Ada?"

Ada smiled and agreed.

Just then Oz's eyes snapped open.

Both girls looked at the gold-haired male curiously, but he shushed them with a shushing motion.

He then, took off up the stairs, the girls following right behind him.

"Onii-chan?" Ada called as she followed her brother.

'_Who is it?' _Oz thought as he continued running, _'No one should know this song except the few who…but even so, although some parts are rearranged, the song is the same, it's still Lacie!'_

* * *

"I look forward to meeting up with you again, Jack," Lottie said maliciously.

* * *

Oz kept running until he burst through a pair of doors to fin no one int the room besides two pianos.

"Jack-nii?" Alice called. "Was that…?"

Oz nodded. "It was…but how do they know that melody? No one should have known about it unless they were…"

"Ne, can you play it and sing it again?" Alice pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.

"Onii-chan, you play and sing?" Ada asked, surprised.

"Actually, surprisingly, yes," Oz answered, "the tune we heard has a song that goes with it, but only little to no people know of it. The few people who know it and its origins are myself, and few others that won't be named."

"Please can you play it and sing, too?" Ada pleaded as well, copying Alice.

Not being able to resist the wide watery eyes of both girls, Oz sighed and relented.

Both girls squealed and sat down on the piano bench that wasn't going to be used as Cheshire switched back to his humanoid form and sat on the ground.

Ada screamed.

Oz looked at his sister and saw what she was pointing to.

"Ada, this is Cheshire," Oz introduced, "A Chain. He is known as the Cheshire Cat and an old friend of Alice's. He won't hurt you, but there _is_ one thing I need to do before I play or sing."

'_**Jack is there a way to form two contracts?'**_ Oz asked.

'_**It's rare, but it isn't impossible,'**_ Jack said, _**'Why? Did you want another Contract with Cheshire?'**_

Oz gave a mental nod.

'_**I can make sure you have a Legal Contract, but you'll need to concentrate really hard on Cheshire and I specifically. And hold Cheshire's paw, will you?'**_Jack instructed.

"Cheshire," Oz said, "I know you may not have much time left in this world without a Contractor, so would you like a Contract with me? You can still stay with Alice, though."

Cheshire immediately jumped at the proposition.

"Alright I need you to hold my hand and you must concentrate on me and only me, alright?" Oz instructed.

Cheshire nodded and held Oz's hand within his own and thought of Oz as Oz held Cheshire's hand and thought of Cheshire and Jack.

A light yellow glow enveloped both beings before it died away.

"What did you do?" Alice asked.

"I formed a Contract, Legal mind you, with Cheshire," Oz stated simply, "Now shall I begin?"

Both girls nodded eagerly as Cheshire sat on the ground as usual and listened.

(AN: Oz is playing Elliot's version of Lacie while singing this.)

Jack's smooth baritone voice filled the room as he played and sang to the girls the same song he sang for Alice not too long ago.

_Everytime you kissed me  
I trembled like a child  
Gathering the roses  
We sang for the hope  
Your very voice is in my heartbeat  
Sweeter than my dream  
We were there, in everlasting bloom_

_Roses die  
The secret is inside the pain  
Winds are high up on the hill  
I cannot hear you  
Come and hold me close  
I'm shivering cold in the heart of rain  
Darkness falls, I'm calling for the dawn_

_Silver dishes for the memories for the days gone by  
Singing for the promises  
Tomorrow may bring  
I harbour all the old affection  
Roses of the past  
Darkness falls, and summer will be gone_

_Joys of the daylight  
Shadows of the starlight  
Everything was sweet by your side, my love  
Ruby tears have come to me for your last words  
I'm here just singing my song of woe  
Waiting for you, my love_

_Now let my happiness sing inside my dream…_

_Everytime you kissed me  
My heart was in such pain  
Gathering the roses  
We sang of the grief  
Your very voice is in my heartbeat  
Sweeter than despair  
We were there, in everlasting bloom_

_Underneath the stars  
Shaded by the flowers  
Kiss me in the summer day gloom, my love  
You are all my pleasure, my hope and my song  
I will be here dreaming in the past  
Until you come  
Until we close our eyes…_

Sometime during the song, Alice had gone over and sat by Cheshire, but now at the end, both were fast asleep against each other.

"Onii-chan?" Ada asked. "Why does Alice-san call you 'Jack-nii'?"

"Ada," Jack asked, "What were you told when you found out I was gone ten years ago?"

Ada thought hard for a minute before answering. "Everyone told me that you were kidnapped, but after I was older, they finally told me that you were sent into the Abyss. Why?"

"It's true I was sent to the Abyss," Oz replied, "But do you know why?"

Ada shook her head.

"Have you heard of the Baskervilles?" Oz questioned.

"Vaguely," Ada responded.

"The Baskervilles were once one of the four Archduke houses," Jack explained, "a hundred years ago, they were the cause of the Tragedy of Sabrièl. After Jack Vessalius had been proclaimed the hero of the Tragedy, only then did the Vessalius' become one of the Archduke families by taking Baskerville's place. For a hundred years, the Baskervilles remained silent, no one heard not a word nor rumor of them, until then years ago when they decided to break their silence," Oz took a deep breath before continuing, "On the day of my Coming-of-Age Ceremony, I fulfilled the prophecy of the Silent Clock Tower by setting it back into motion.

"It was then that the Baskerville decided to attack me and send me to the Abyss. There I met the living soul of Jack Vessalius. For ten years he taught me swordsmanship among other things. He'd probably been the closest thing to a father, besides Uncle Oscar, that I've ever had. And just a few weeks ago, it was time for me to come back here, so Jack helped Alice and I to form a contract, mind you it was legal," Jack said before Ada stopped him to answer a question.

"How can you have a contract with a girl?" Ada asked. "You couldn't do that unless…"

"That's correct, imouto," Jack answered, "Alice is actually a Chain, though she never used to be at first. Alice is the legendary notorious Blood-Stained Black Rabbit, or the B-Rabbit for short."

Ada could only stare at her brother and the two Chains in shock.

"Now, when I came here, I used the name 'Jack Vessalius' only because Jack and I planned it that way before leaving the Abyss," Oz resumed his story, "But technically, I wasn't lying about being Jack, seeing as I'm his reincarnation. Alice calls me 'Jack-nii', but other times, it's 'Oz-nii'."

"Onii-chan," Ada asked, "Where did you learn how to play like that? And sing?"

"When in the Abyss, after wandering around, you need to at least entertain yourself somehow or you'll be bored to death," Jack smiled at his sister.

"Now," Oz said, "Shall we go?"

"What about Alice-san and Cheshire-san?" Ada inquired.

"I'm waking them up now," Oz stated.

"Alice, Cheshire, time to wake up," Oz said shaking both of their shoulders.

Neither moved nor stirred.

Oz sighed, "I really didn't want it to come out to this but…" he went over to the piano and play as horribly and as loud as he could.

Both Chains' eyes snapped open and covered their ears from the noise.

"What was that for?" Alice screeched.

"Neither of you would wake up," Oz shrugged.

Alice only grumbled as she picked up a shaken Cheshire, who was back in his feline form, into her arms.

"Now," Oz said, turning to his sister, "Why don't you give a tour of this place? I haven't had the opportunity to go, but you have, so if you have time, can you?"

Ada nodded as she beamed at being able to spend time with her brother.

"Ada," Oz said, remembering something, "I need you to call me either 'Jack' or 'Jack-nii', if you prefer, when we're around others. No one can find out about Oz Vessalius being alive until I feel it's right."

Ada nodded and began showing the trio around the school.

But it was when they came upon the library that things became tense.

"And this is the library!" Ada exclaimed quietly as they walked into the large room.

"Oh dear," Oz said amazed, "This is definitely much larger than the Vessalius library back home, but then again, it's also larger than Jack's library. You come here often, then?"

Ada nodded with a cute flush on her cheeks.

"Jack-nii?" Alice asked, tugging on his sleeve. "What is this place?"

"This, Alice, is called a library," Oz explained, "This is a place where people store books so others can read them, unless it's your personal library, of course."

Alice slowly nodded her head as she understood what Oz was saying.

But unfortunately, at that moment a strict and hard voice cut in. "You there! What are you doing in the school!"

Everyone turned to see two boys that looked just about a year or two older than Ada.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The first boy had pale-taupe-coloured hair that was slightly spiky and hung just below his chin, a fraction above his shoulder with one side being slightly longer than the other. He had Glaucous-colored eyes (it's a sort of grey-ish blue that's more blue than grey) and pale skin. He also had a piercing in each ear.

He was wearing the mandatory males' uniform.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The second was a little shorter than the first and had black hair that went to just below his shoulders and had a messy quality about it that looked neat. He, too, had pale skin, but no piercings, and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of large circular-framed glasses.

He also wore the same uniform.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Elliot! Leo!" Ada smiled.

"Hello, Ada-san," the black-haired boy known as Leo greeted.

"I've told you many times, Ada Vessalius: Never address me like that!" Elliot shouted at Ada, making her flinch.

"And you," Elliot said, turning to Jack, Alice and Cheshire, "What are you two doing here? You must be one of the intruders that were discovered!"

"The first one was your uncle wasn't it," Elliot spat out disgustedly.

Ada cringed.

"Those are the Vessalius' for you!" Elliot said sarcastically. "The descendants of the Hero get to do whatever they want whenever they want to!"

"And you two," Elliot began, "You're coming with me to the dean's office right now!"

Jack glared at them with his only visible emerald eye.

And that was just about enough to stop them in their tracks.

"I assure you," Jack said, "None of us, nor is Oscar Vessalius one of the intruders discovered. We have explicit permission from the dean himself**-Alice and Jack show their slips-**. You might want to clear your attitude, as no one, not even a Nightray, would be foolish enough to insult a duke and his family in front of them."

"Why you…!" Elliot began in a threatening manner as he charged towards Oz.

Seeing the attack, Jack leapt up into the air and flipped over everyone and landed on his feet a few feet from the door.

"And I would like it if you didn't speak to my little sister in that fashion," Oz glared coldly.

That said, Jack, Alice, and Cheshire went out the doors of the library, Ada behind them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gilbert was a little…busy, shall we say.

"Kyaa! You're so handsome sempai!"

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

"When is your birthday?"

"Are you free anytime this week?"

"Um…no…" Gilbert managed to choke out weakly to the numerous girls that surrounded him.

'_What do I do now…?'_ Gilbert thought frantically.

* * *

'_That boy,' _Jack thought as he leaned against a wall, _'There's something about him that's a bit unsettling, besides the fact that he's a Nightray. Could he have something to do with Sabri__èl? Or is something happening to him?'_

Just then, the trio heard a sound. At once, Alice with Cheshire by her side (still feline form) stood in front of Jack.

"Who's there!" he demanded.

"It's me," came a familiar voice, "Ada."

All three visibly relaxed.

"Onii-chan," Ada began nervously, "Please don't be mad at Elliot. Leo's always been nice to me, but I for some reason, Elliot has always hated me. But he really is a gentle and dependable person."

Oz looked at his sister.

"Ada," Oz asked, "Just how much do you know of the history between the Nightrays' and Vessalius'?"

"Not much, why?" she answered.

"The Vessalius House has never gotten along with the Nightray House for unknown reasons that may stay unknown. But one reason why most Vessalius' of this generation or time hate the Nightrays is because…they might have been responsible for mother's death," Oz explained.

Ada stood in silent shock.

"We might want to go ahead and start looking for the others," Jack said, getting off of the wall. He extended one hand towards his sister, "Here, take my hand so you won't wander off, alright?"

Ada looked surprised.

Jack froze. _'My sister isn't __that__ little anymore! She knows better than to wander off, and she practically knows this school better than I ever would! What the hell am I doing?'_

"Sorry," Oz sighed, "it's become a habit abd as you know some habits are harder to br—"

Oz was cut off as his sister took his offered hand. "Thank you, Onii-chan."

Just then, two pairs of hands grabbed Ada. One hand covered Ada's mouth; another two grabbed her around the neck and two arms pulled Ada away from Oz towards where four figures stood in the shadows.

"Hello, Jack," Lottie said, dressed in a slightly tight version of the school uniform that revealed a bit if not more than enough cleavage, "I think it's time we had a little heart-to-heart, don't you?"

The last thing he saw was being tackled by maroon robes.

* * *

Links:

**Shoes for Girl's Uniform**: www . costumeshoes images/ . jpg

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	13. Retrace 12: The Hero's Last Warning

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~The Hero's Last Warning~Oo**

Elliot walked through the halls, when he suddenly heard meowing coming from somewhere nearby. Making his way to the source, he saw that it was only to kittens, one brown, and the other white.

"Oi, cats!" Elliot called. "Stop it with that racket! You're being way too noisy!"

The white cat padded over to Elliot, holding a red ribbon in its mouth, as the brown one continued to meow and scratch the wall gently, yet urgently with its paws.

"What's this…" Elliot said as he took the ribbon and looked closely, only to realize that it belonged to Ada Vessalius.

* * *

"What have gotten planned for me today, Lottie?" Jack asked seriously.

"Aww," Lottie cooed, "But I just wanted to talk to you, Jack!"

'_Damn, this isn't going to turn out well…they've already got me, Ada and Alice, so what are—wait, where's Cheshire?' _Oz thought.

His eyes scanned around the area before resting on a black cat hidden behind the crates their backs were up against.

'_**Cheshire,' **_Oz said, _**'I need you to cut all of of loose as fast as you can, alright? Start with Alice and Ada, then move onto me.'**_

Cheshire nodded as he stealthily made his way over to Alice.

"We're so sorry to disturb your day, Jack-sama," one of the men in maroon robes said sarcastically. He had lavender hair, gold eyes and a black tattoo on his left cheek.

"But we won't hurt you," the other said, "That is, if you cooperate." This man had spiky black hair, grey eyes, and his entire right half of his face was covered in a black tattoo.

Oz glanced over to the fourth figure in the room.

His face wasn't visible and nor did he say a word, but Oz felt a sense of recognition from this man.

"Ne, Jack," Lottie said, gaining Oz's attention once more, "don't you have something to tell me? Why don't we just talk?"

Lottie knelt down and grabbed Jack's face by his chin. "All we want to do is to make sure we can get to our goal." She licked the right side of his face.

Jack threw Lottie a disgusted glare.

Out of the corner of his eye, Oz saw his sister about to speak.

'_**Ada, don't you dare saw a word. These people will never hesitate to kill you, and right now, they are focusing on me, so keep it that way, it'll buy us some time at the very least,'**_ Oz told his sister sternly.

Surprised and scared, she gave a subtle nod to her brother when she felt a tug on his bindings. She looked behind her discreetly and saw that Cheshire was loosening the ropes. She looked over at Alice from the corner of her eye and saw that even though her cords were cut off, she still played the part of being tied up by staying the same position she was in when she was really tied up.

* * *

"Hey kitties," Elliot said, "I just want to know where you owner and the intruder went. This is just a wall."

"If it's not the wall, then it's probably the candle holder," a voice said.

Elliot looked up from where he was kneeling to see Leo with a small bag slung over his shoulder. "Leo?"

"Maybe there' some kind of trick or something like that, at least," Leo said pulling the middle candlestick, automatically opening a passageway.

"See, just like that," Leo stated.

"W-What the…?" Elliot said, looking down into the tunnel, "What the heck is this?"

"It seems like this school once used to be used as a stronghold for prisoners," Leo said, "It must have been created by people long in the past."

"Well, then, what should we do?" Leo asked, already knowing the answer.

"You know as well as I do that there's no need to ask that question," Elliot told his companion as he looked down the tunnel with a determined expression.

* * *

"Ne, Jack," Lottie said sweetly, "Why are you so quiet?"

Jack just glared at the rose-haired woman.

"Aw, Why the face?" the rose-haired woman cooed mockingly.

'_If I'm correct in my assumptions, then the other person over there must be Zai.' _Oz thought. _'Wait, I'm getting off-topic. I need to concentrate on what to do after we're—wait, someone's coming…don't tell me that Elliot Nightray is going to try and act all high-and-mighty by challenging the Baskervilles? No one can be as stupid as that!'_

Oz eventually tuned Lottie out as he continued to plan out everything, when he felt his bindings were gone. The gold-haired man gave a mental smile and a word of thanks to Cheshire through their mental link.

"Come now, Jack," Lottie said, "You know what we want to know, so out with it."

"That is if I cooperate, though I believe I shall not," Jack said as he grabbed Alice and Ada close to him and leapt up onto the top platform of a small staircase, Cheshire appearing behind them, still in his feline form.

* * *

Elliot and Leo hurried down the stairs as quickly as they could, when they heard Jack's voice.

"Exactly what do you want to know, Lottie?" Jack's voice said.

Leo and Elliot looked at each other for a moment before listening closely.

"Stop being so ignorant, Jack, it's not becoming of you," Lottie's voice said, "We're talking about the truth of the Tragedy of Sabrièl."

* * *

"What do you want to know about the Tragedy?" Jack asked. "You should have known all there was to it, seeing as you all had killed everyone without a second thought."

"It was the Baskerville's who'd done the mass massacre there," Lottie confirmed, "We killed quite the number of people."

"And do you know why you'd done this?" Jack asked. "Why Glen had ordered you to kill everyone?"

"I wouldn't know, Jack boy," Lottie answered lazily, "We only followed Glen-sama's orders."

"Hmph," Jack smirked ominously, "Just as I thought: you did everything there without know the reason why."

"Glen-sama's orders are absolute," Lottie explained, a malicious smile on her face, "Once the orders are given, everyone must obey, that's all."

"Now," Lottie said sweetly, "why don't you tell us where you've been for the last hundred years?'

"Not a chance, Lottie," Jack smirked.

"Hold it right there!" a voice called.

"Who is it?" Lottie shouted as she threw a knife in the direction of the voice, only to have it pinned in the wall behind Leo and Elliot who stood on the platform opposite Jack and his companions.

Alice and Ada looked at Elliot and Leo in shock, while Jack looked at them, outrage shining clearly in his visible eye.

"What are the both of you doing here?" Jack asked calmly, although he was practically shouting inside.

"Oh? Did someone get lost?" Lottie asked. "Mmm, I don't think so…"

"In order to fulfill the duties bestowed upon us, we'll capture the intruders," Elliot stated.

'_Idiot,'_ Alice, Oz and Cheshire thought sweat-dropping.

"Jack-nii?" Alice whispered. "Don't you think we should do something before they start brawl?"

Jack gave a discreet nod. He whistled, gaining everyone's attention. Oz extended one hand with his palm facing the Baskervilles and a bright light erupted out of it, enveloping the maroon-robed figures.

"Hurry!" Jack called, "this way!"

He took Alice's and Ada's hands as Cheshire leapt on his shoulder and ran into another corridor, Elliot and Leo right behind them.

Elliot took out his sword and slashed it at a few crates and then ran to follow the others.

When the light died away, Lottie looked at the blocked corridor and only smiled.

"What do we do know, idiot?" the hooded figure asked.

A vein pulsed on Lottie's forehead. "We follow them, of course, Zai," Lottie answered.

* * *

"If we keep following this corridor, we should be out in a while," Leo commented.

Jack suddenly slumped to the floor, only to be caught by Alice and Ada.

"Onii-chan!" "Jack-nii!" both girls cried out, rushing to catch him.

"Are you okay, Onii-chan?" Ada asked.

"I'm fine, I'm just a little tired," Jack assured both girls, "That little trick and the other thing I'd done today just sapped me of a little more energy than I thought it would."

"That reminds me, " Elliot said, watching Jack stand up again and lean against the wall before standing up straight once more, "I have some questions to ask you when we get out of here."

"You may ask, but I'm not certain that I'll answer," Jack replied as he continued walking ahead with the girls behind him.

"He's weird," Elliot said to himself.

"That may be so," Leo said, popping up behind Elliot, "But I think that there's more to the story than what meets the eye."

"GAH!" Elliot whispered in surprise. "Don't do that!"

Leo only chuckled as they both jogged to catch up to the group ahead of them.

'_Why does Ada call that guy "Onii-chan"?' _Elliot thought as he walked,_ 'He's definitely not her brother…'_

"Onii-chan?" Ada asked. "Why are they coming after you?"

"They were the people who sent me _there_ ten years ago," Jack told his sister quietly, "They feel that I've caused a grave sin and I must repent for it. But the thing is, is that I don't know just _what_ my sin was."

* * *

"Are you alright, Lottie-san?" the lavender-haired man asked.

"I'm fine," Lottie said, "but with a Nightray involved, this could pose quite the problem."

"What should we do?" the black-haired man asked.

"We just make sure we don't kill them," Lottie said, as though it were obvious.

A large shadow with glowing red eyes appeared behind the rose-haired woman.

Zai said nothing, but chose to watch instead.

* * *

The group of six walked into a room filled with ropes, sacks, and crates.

Just then, Cheshire began hissing.

Jack looked behind him as did Alice, and everyone else.

A Lion stepped out of the doorway and leapt over their heads, landing a few metres in front of them. It was then that they had a good look at the creature, realizing that it was no normal animal.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The lion had pale-white-pink fur, a dull grey mane, thin red wings protruding from its shoulders and a gold crown was perched on its head. It had blank white eyes and a gold medallion hung from a red scarf around its neck.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"I've caught up to you," Lottie said in a sin-song voice, leaning on the lion, "Isn't he cute, you can call him Leon, if you want to."

"A lion?" Leo commented softly.

"No," Jack said.

"It's a Chain," he and Alice said together, Cheshire mewed in agreement before hissing at the lion.

"Are you ready to talk yet?" Lottie asked as the lion advanced on them.

Elliot, Leo and Ada back away as Jack stood his ground.

"Not a chance," Jack smirked, "But have you met my friends? I don't believe that I've introduced you."

Lottie's smile froze on her face as she thought about what Jack said. Keeping her smile up she asked, "Then why don't you? I'm sure Leon will like a nice snack."

Oz glanced around and saw Zai sitting atop one of the highest pile of crates in the room, as the other two were behind Lottie.

"Alright then," Oz answered airily, "This is Alice and Cheshire."

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Is he _trying_ to get himself killed?" Elliot asked as he grabbed his sword and was getting ready to attack.

But he found himself held back by Ada and Leo. "What?" he whispered.

"Don't do anything," Ada pleaded, "Onii-chan knows what he's doing."

"I think we need to sit this one out, Elliot," Leo nodded, "You can fight them when they have a _Chain_ on their side. Our best option right now is to trust this man."

Elliot only huffed in anger before sheathing his sword.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Alice stepped up in front of Oz as did Cheshire after hopping off of the gold-haired man's shoulder.

Lottie laughed. "Is this it? Is this supposed to be frightening? Oh, I'm practically shaking!"

"I never said I was done with their introductions, now did I?" Oz asked rhetorically.

"B-Rabbit! Cheshire Cat!" Oz whispered stretching his arm out, palm facing the feline and girl.

* * *

Gilbert put a hand to his chest and clenched his fist when he felt a pulse run through him.

'_What's happening?'_

* * *

_Artimora stodifia  
Marta mia carpita_

A bright red light enveloped the group of three.

Lottie and the other Baskervilles looked on in awe and fear.

_Artiora stodamia  
Cortiola castia_

Elliot, Leo and Ada looked on in amazement.

_Artiora stodamia  
Cortiola castia_

Numerous spear-tipped chains erupted from the light and formed what looked like a loose barricade around the source of the light.

_Mortiasa mia canta (Adima) difia_

Leon gave one last roar before disentigrating into dust and sparks. "Leon!" Lottie called out in horror as she tried to get to her Chain but was held back by the two Baskervilles behind her.

_Sortimora (Camitita)  
Sordifia (Martimenta)  
Mortimia ii ora la casa sora mia ita sodi alma (Kasa)_

"Lottie-san! No! You can't! He's already gone! I won't make a difference!" The lavender-haired man shouted over the loud howls of the wind as he shielded Lottie with his cloak.

_Solta_

The Light died away to reveal Jack kneeling with his left leg to his chest, his right leg touching the floor, his right hand in a fist over his heart and his left fist touching the floor by the knuckles.

_Artimora stodifia  
Marta mia carpita_

Behind the gold-haired man was the B-Rabbit kneeling in the same pose, her chains around the trio like barricade. Cheshire also knelt, but a little off to the side of Oz.

_Artiora stodamia  
Cortiola castia  
A-a-a-a-a-h_

"The Blood-Stained Black Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat," Lottie breathed in awe, before smirking, as Jack stood up, "Well, well, well, we've been quite busy, haven't we, Jack Vessalius?"

Ada, Leo, and Elliot looked on at the gold-haired man and the creatures with definite shock apparent in their eyes.

"Ne, Jack?" Lottie asked. "You know where Glen-sama is, don't you?"

"Don't misunderstand, Lottie," Jack said, "I don't have any wish to speak with you."

"What is with you?" Lottie shouted, the last of her patience finally snapping. "Has becoming the 'Hero' gone to your head? I thought he was your friend! After that incident, the Vessalius family gained so much status and riches; you must have been overjoyed!"

Jack's eye snapped open, flooding with rage. "You think that I…You think that _I killed Glen for fame and fortune_? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Jack glared at the pink-haired woman.

Lottie shrunk back slightly.

"Listen well, Lottie, for I shan't warn you again," Oz said gravely, "Leave. For you cannot match up to the power of the B-Rabbit. I do not speak only to protect the one who once was my best friend. If you all are planning to do as you did one hundred years prior, then I shall once again become the blade which will vanquish the Reapers."

"Do as you wish," Lottie said turning around to walk away, but stopped, "But know this: no matter how many times you kill Glen-sama, it'll only take us that many times to find him again."

Jack's eye narrowed.

'_**How was that?'**_ Oz asked.

'_**Mmm, just as we planned, though you might have wanted to avoid taking Lottie's Chain away,**_**' **Jack said.

'**-shrug-**_**it's her fault for calling him out,' **_Oz said, _**'But we did say that we wouldn't be very merciful or none at all.'**_

Jack said nothing.

"Come," Oz said, "We need to get out of here as soon as we can."

And with that, they all began walking once more, too surprised to even speak.

It wasn't until twenty minutes later that they found the way out of the labyrinth.

* * *

Song:

_Bloody Rabbit_ by Kajiura Yuki

_Everytime You Kissed Me _by Emily Bindiger

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	14. Retrace 13: Trouble with a Glass or More

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: I've re-written this chapter, because I found several mistakes in it that I never caught the first time around, so I hope you all like the re-written version! Oh and I will say that those who have already reviewed on this chapter wouldn't be able to review again so just send me PM telling me what you think about this.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**oO~Trouble with a Glass or More~Oo**

Oz sat on the couch with a pensive expression painted on his features as he sipped his cup of tea.

Gilbert groaned as he was slumped over a chair with a depressed aura hanging over him.

And Alice…Alice was eating numerous sweets and cakes on the coffee table as she sat on the floor in front of it.

Cheshire was sitting on the couch next to Oz in his humanoid form, watching his mistress gobbled up the sweets with stunned interest.

"Oh dear," Break said, looking at the three, a lollipop in his mouth, "Why the oppressive atmosphere? Surely facing the Baskervilles wasn't _that_ big of shock?"

"Oh no," Sharon corrected Break, "actually, it seems that Elliot Nightray is the cause of this."

"Elliot Nightray?" Break question, trying to put a name to a face. "Ah, the boy with the short fuse."

Sharon nodded. "It seems that things didn't go exactly as planned for these three, not including Cheshire, of course."

* * *

-Flashback-

_Jack, Ada, Leo, Elliot, and Alice with Cheshire in her arms walked onto a dirt path after weaving their way through the light thicket of trees._

"_Okay, that's it!" Elliot exclaimed. "Who the hell _are_ you?"_

"_Before answering your question, I have one of my own, if you don't mind," Oz said smiling slightly._

_Elliot just gave a wary nod._

_The smile slipped off of Jack's lips as his face contorted into a blank expression, with only his eyes conveying the seriousness of the question as well as the underlying anger in his eyes. "How did you know the song 'Lacie'?"_

_Elliot froze. "How do you know about that!" Elliot demanded. "I don't need to tell you anything!"_

"_I know because I know the entire song as well as its sorrowful origins," Jack answered emotionlessly._

_The pale-taupe-haired boy looked at Jack in unconcealed shock._

'They've been cooperative until now, so what should I tell them?'_ Oz thought. _'If I tell them who I really am, they might not believe me. Then again they could believe me to be an imposter. On the other hand, if I tell them I am the hero of the Tragedy one hundred years before, they would most likely think that I am either a threat or that I am part of the Baskervilles, though both ideas seem quite unlikely.'

"_Now answer my question," Elliot commanded, "Who are you?"_

"_I am—" Jack began before being cut off by a voice._

"_Oz!" Gilbert cried out as he rushed over to the gold-haired man. "Are you alright?"_

_Jack froze in place as his eye twitched. The gold-haired man tackled poor Gilbert to the ground and proceeded to beat him senseless, ending with him sitting upon the black-haired male's back, arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at his valet._

"_What was that for?" Gilbert asked rubbing his head._

"_Try and look at the situation before barging in," was all the emerald-eyed man stated._

_Gilbert only grumbled under his breath._

_Elliot and Leo just stood there with slacked-jaws._

"_Gilbert?" Elliot whispered in surprise._

_Hearing his name, the black-haired male stopped rubbing his head and looked up at the taupe-haired boy._

"_Elliot?" Gilbert asked before looking at the school uniform the teen wore. "Oh, so you go to this school? I didn't know th—"_

"_GILBERT!" Elliot shouted, slashing his sword down, narrowly missing Gilbert by only a hair._

_Gilbert cried out in shock as he dodged the younger Nightray's blade._

"_What are you doing here!" Elliot shouted. "Running around a school causing trouble at the age of twenty-four…YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!"_

_Gilbert paled and became white with fear._

_Leo thought about Elliot's statement and punched his fist into his palm with a small "Aha!"_

_Elliot then turned to Jack and walked up to him, taking his sword and placing the tip at Jack's throat._

"_Who the hell are you?" Elliot demanded once more. "How do you know this man?" he asked referring to Gilbert._

_Jack said nothing._

"_Elliot!" Gilbert shouted, calling the taupe-haired boy's attention to him. "No one will harm him so long as I live! I'll not hesitate to take out anyone who harms this man; not even you!"_

_The younger Nightray just looked on at the elder one, stunned._

"_He is my master!" Gilbert shouted. "Oz Vesslius!"_

"_Vessalius…?" Eliot whispered in disbelief._

_He took the blade off of Jack's neck and backed away._

"_But didn't Oz Vessalius…" Leo spoke up, trailing off._

'Great job, Gil,' _Oz thought, _'That's exactly how I wanted to introduce myself.'

"_That's right!" Elliot exclaimed. "I was told that Oz Vesslaius died ten years ago! And not only that but I heard the Baskervilles call you 'Jack Vessalius'!"_

"_Jack and I are one in the same," Oz replied, "But I assure you, I did not die ten years ago. I was sent somewhere and returned just a few weeks before."_

"_Whatever!" Elliot sputtered before walking away with Leo right behind him._

-End Flashback-

* * *

"So Gilbert here is suffering from rejection from his otouto?" Break guessed.

"Shut up," Gilbert said gloomily, his depressed aura growing even thicker around him.

Sharon only giggled as break chuckled behind his sleeve.

"And as for the other one…" Sharon trailed off looking at Alice, who was still eating the many sweets laden on the table. "Alice-san? Why are you sulking?"

Said girl looked up and said, "I'm fine, and I'm _not_ sulking!" She ate another sweet roll. "Why would I be sulking anyway?"

"I see…" Break drawled.

"A useless glutton," Emily stated from her place on Break's shoulder.

_WHAM!_

_CRACK!_

_BOOM!_

"You shall be silent, Break," Sharon said to the figure and his puppet that were now sporting large bumps on their heads as she tossed a large paper fan aside.

"Now, Alice-san," Sharon said turning to the brown-haired girl, "Why don't we go into another room and you can tell me what's wrong? Alright?"

Alice looked at Sharon blankly for a few seconds before regaining her composure. "That's absurd! Why would I—"

She was cut off by the threatening aura that was emanating from the strawberry-blonde-haired girl and felt herself practically shrinking underneath the intimidating atmosphere.

The chocolate-haired girl gave in and went into another room with Sharon and Break.

* * *

-Alice, Break & Sharon-

"Oz-sama is ignoring you?" Break and Sharon said together.

"No!" Alice exclaimed. "I mean that he' my big brother too and I haven't a lot of time with him in a while…"

"First he had tea with the clown," Alice began listing, "Then he went crazy about his sister and now he's thinking about that other boy!"

"Why can't he spend a little more time with me?" Alice asked. "I mean, he's the only one that knows me more than I know myself, and he's the one that's taken care of me ever since we came here. So why can't he just spare a little time for me?"

"Then do you mean…" Break began, only to trail off when he felt a presence behind him.

Turning around, the white-haired man saw Sharon with a slight flush on her cheeks and stars in her eyes.

"So…cute…" Sharon said dreamily before charging forward, tossing Break out of her path. "That's so cute Alice-san! I've never seen anyone experience this form of jealousy!"

"Jealous?" Alice asked. "What's that? What does it taste like?"

"Jealousy is a feeling, Alice-san! As for a taste it would be bittersweet!" Sharon exclaimed, going into a rant. "Romance will always have some form of it, but never have I ever seen someone being jealous of familial bonds!"

"What's 'romance'?" Alice asked.

"It's a sweet and happy feeling that almost everyone experiences sometime in their lives!" Sharon exclaimed.

As Sharon continued on her rant, Break got up off of the floor. He smiled and said, "It seems that Milady's 'girl-switch' has been activated."

"I-I don't need help from the any of y—" Alice said before she was cut off by a small sniffle.

She turned to Sharon and gasped a little. "'Any of you?'" Sharon asked. "That's right, you've never called me by my name! Ah! That's it! Why don't you call me 'Sharon-onee-sama'?"

"Why?" Alice asked, trying to back away from the strawberry-blonde.

"Don't let the details worry you," Sharon said, a threatening aura beginning to erupt around her. "Go on now; Don't. Be. Shy."

Alice shrunk back be before choking out with a grimace, "S…Sh…Sha…Sharon…Onee…sama…"

"KYAAAA!" Sharon cried out with glee. "Did you hear that Break? It feels as though I really have a little sister!"

Break laughed. "It may seem that way Milady," he said, still laughing, "But no matter how hard you try, you'll still seem like an old lady who's going around picking up childr—"

_WHAM!_

_BOOM!_

_CRACK!_

Break and Emily lay on the floor with a tiny geyser of blood spouting out of the tops of their heads.

* * *

"Now, Alice-san," Sharon said, putting the large paper fan back from wherever she'd pulled it out of in the first place, "Your Onee-sama will teach you all that you need to know!"

"What are these?" Alice asked, looking at the numerous novels that Sharon had laid out in front of them.

"These are the _Romance Sagas_," Sharon stated.

"_Romance Sagas_?" Alice questioned.

Sharon nodded as she opened the book and read a quote out of the book for her. "'I fear he is slowly slipping away from between my fingers. For he barks happily at many whom he meets, though he seems to forget that I am still here. What must I do? He does not spare even the shortest of minutes with me! '"

"That's almost like me!" Alice exclaimed. "What happens next, Sharon-Onee-sama?"

Sharon turned the pages as she explained everything that the heroine of the story went through. "The Heroine goes through many trials and does all she can to defeat her foes. And eventually, she is rewarded with something she had always wanted; Love." But right there, Sharon snapped the book shut.

"Why did you close it?" Alice asked.

"N-Nothing!" Sharon squeaked, thinking about the kissing scene illustration. "I don't think you're quite ready for that stage, Alice-san."

"Are you talking about kissing?" Alice asked.

Sharon squealed in shock.

"Oz and I have already done that," Alice said indifferently.

Sharon dropped the book…

…and all hell broke loose.

* * *

"YOU WOLF IN RABBIT'S CLOTHING!" Sharon's voice resonated throughout the entire manor.

_WHAM!_

_BOOM!_

_CRACK!_

Oz lay on the floor with several well-sized lumps on his head, courtesy of the _two wooden_ fans Sharon held in her hands.

"Milady, I don't think it would be good idea to beat Oz-sama like that," Break said before explaining something, "Alice-san had kissed Oz-sama only because the situation required it. Illegal Contractors and Legal Contractors, in Oz-sama's case, must have a blood exchange in order to solidify the Contract."

"O-Oh," Sharon said embarrassed, "If you'd told me that sooner, Oz-sama, I wouldn't have gone about acting the way I did."

"You never gave me a chance to explain myself, dear Lady," Oz said, his voice slightly muffled by the soft plush carpet of the room.

Sharon just flushed in embarrassment as she hid the wooden fans in god knows where.

Gilbert on the other hand muttered incoherently, leaning up against the wall beside the double doors. "O-Oz…k-kissed…?"

At that moment, the doors of the room burst open to reveal Oscar with two maids, each pushing a cart. Unfortunately for Gilbert, he was smacked right in the face with one of the doors

"Yo, everyone!" Oscar greeted.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the man who was accused of stealing the girls' unfiroms?" Break drawled. "What a pervert!"

"Do you even know what you're saying Xerxes?" Oscar asked, a scary look on his face.

"Being looked upon with scorn is something you're good at, you scumbag," Break said as he watched the dreamy expression on Oscar's face.

"La?" Break said as he noticed the glasses of what looked like juice on the carts the maids had wheeled in. "Is that juice?"

Oscar nodded. "Even though we hadn't found out who Ada likes, I thought it might be a good idea to just kick back and celebrate for once."

Oz winced imperceptibly when Oscar mentioned Ada's crush. '_Well, _you_ never found out, but I definitely know who it is and that she needs to be careful around him. Though, if you found out, you just might have a heart attack.'_

"Well, everyone," Oscar said, "Take a glass and let's celebrate!"

And with that everyone took a glass; Oz, though, with a little suspicion. _'He's up to something…'_ he thought.

Everyone stood around a small table and held their glasses in the air as they all shouted, "Cheers!"

* * *

-One Hour Later-

"I knew something was up," Oz muttered as he looked at the slumped over bodies with flushed faces of his companions, "That _definitely_ wasn't juice."

"What are you talking about?" Oscar asked. "It's just juice with a little alcohol mixed in."

"That would be known as 'wine' to the rest of the world, Uncle," Oz stated dryly.

"Now, now," Oscar waved the matter away, "Don't fret about the smaller details."

"At least I had sense enough to stop before even finishing my own glass, Uncle," Oz pointed out. "And you were good at holding down your liquor, but not everyone can do that, Uncle Oscar."

"Anyway," Oscar said, handing Oz an empty glass and filling it up to the brim with more wine, "You're twenty-five, so it really doesn't matter. Then there's Sharon-san who's about twenty-three, Break who's somewhere in his early thirties or so, Emily's just a doll, Alice-san and Cheshire-san are Chains in the first place, and Gilbert who's just a year younger than you."

"That may be true, but still…" Oz said, trailing off, tipping the wine over the side of the couch and into a potted plant.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Twenty-five…" Oscar muttered, the flush on his face deepening with the concentrated expression pasted on his face.

"What are you mumbling about now?" Jack asked exasperatedly.

"Nothing~," Oscar said quickly turning away, whistling a random tune.

Just then, Alice and Cheshire woke up (Cheshire in his humanoid form).

"Ah! Look! Cheshire-san and Alice-san are awake!" Oscar exclaimed, pointing at the two Chains as he watched excitedly.

"Nya?" Cheshire mewed in confusion as he looked around before his gaze rested on Oz.

The Neko-Chain grinned and charged at the gold-haired man, who unfortunately had no time to dodge, causing the both of them to end up on the ground, the Chain on top of Jack.

Cheshire began purring as he rubbed his head against the man's chest.

"Cheshire?" Alice called sweetly.

The cat-Chain stopped its actions and sprinted over to Alice where he ran around her legs for a minute before settling on the ground in front of her.

Oz just sat up, trying to soothe the bump that had appeared on the back of his head as a result of Cheshire's charging at him.

"Ne, Cheshire…" the brown-haired girl said as she sat down in front of the Chain. "I really like you, you know that, right?" she began inching forward, her lips moving closer and closer to the cat's.

Oz finally saw what was happening, and quickly ran over to try and stop them. He dove in between the two Chains and tried pushing them apart, but to no avail. Instead, Cheshire's lips landed on Oz's right cheek as Alice's landed on his left.

Upon realization, Cheshire, promptly threw the gold-haired man aside, causing him to land on Break, who'd just woken up.

Oz tried to get up off of the white-haired man, only to find that he was unable to do so. He struggled harder to get free of Break's arms around him, only to find that the harder he struggled, the tighter the white-haired man's arms would be around him.

"Ne, Oz-sama," Break mumbled, alcohol strong on his breath, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You just might give me the wrong idea…"

Upon hearing _that_, Oz stopped his struggling as his face turned beet-red.

Break sat up, holding the gold-haired man on his lap.

Oz looked up at Break's face to see that his usually calm and secretive expression was replaced by a strong, yet faint blush across his cheeks and glazed eyes as well as a…content expression?

"Break…" Oz said slowly, "You know you're drunk, so why don't you let me go now, alright?"

"Don't wanna let teddy bear go!" Break whined, clutching Oz closer to him. "You're my teddy bear!"

"Let**-push-**me-**shove-**go!" Oz shouted trying to get out of the white-haired man's arms.

Oz struggled for a few more minutes before he managed to escape the prison that is Break's arms.

He looked around for something and spotted a vase on a nearby table. He inched towards it, all the while keeping his eyes trained on Break. He grabbed it and bashed it over the white-haired man's head.

Break slumped over, unconscious.

Jack sighed in relief and sat on the arm of the couch.

But unfortunately, nothing was content for long.

"Who're ya callin' sheaweed-head!" a voice bellowed/slurred.

Oz fell off the arm of the couch in surprise.

"Haha! Gil could never hold down his liquor," Oscar said, chuckling, watching the scene from behind the couch.

"I never thought it bothered him that much," Oz muttered.

"He's an angry drunk," Break laughed as he slung his arms around Oz's shoulders and hugged the younger man close to him.

"Break?" Jack exclaimed. _'I thought I knocked him out!'_

"Did you miss me my cuddly little teddy weddy?" the white-haired male cooed, nuzzling nuzzled the gold-haired male's cheek.

'_All right, what do I do now?'_ Jack thought as he looked around the room for something to use against Break. His eyes fell on the drapes pulled back from the windows._'Aha!'_

"Break," Jack said in almost a childish tone, "Teddy wants to go and see the sky!" _'I can't _believe_ I'm doing this!'_

"Okay! Teddy wants to see the pretty stars and the cute little moon!" Break sang as he dragged the gold-haired man with him to the window. But before he knew what was going on, Oz had pulled the drapes over Break and wrapped in up like one would a mummy, only leaving the white-haired drunk's head out to breathe.

Unfortunately for Oz, that ws the exact time he decided to tune back into the shouting that Alice and Gilbert were doing.

"Got dat, Baka Ushagi!" Gilbert slurred at a maid who was close to tears.

"What's wif ya callin' me Baka Ushagi?" Alice slurred at the same maid.

"What don't you undershtand!" Gilbert shouted.

"I don't undershatnd what's up with you stupid seaweed-head!" Alice shouted back.

One maid grabbed Alice while Oz grabbed Gilbert, and turned them so they faced each other.

Unfortunately, that probably wasn't the best idea after all…

Because just then, Alice suddenly changed into her B-Rabbit form as she laughed haughtily, albeit drunk.

"Eh?" Oz cried out before remembering that he was so preoccupied with trying to keep everyone from doing things they shouldn't, that he almost forgot about keeping a tight hold on Alice's powers.

Oz redid the seal upon the brown-haired girl just as Gilbert grabbed him from behind and pulled the gold-haired man to his chest, despite the fact that Oz towered over him by about three or four inches at the most.

"Gil?" Jack exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"I'm-hic-protectin' my mashter-hic," Gilbert said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Alice stared off into space for a while before her glazed eyes focused on the two men. Though, in her eyes, they were in a passionate embrace.

Violet orbs widened. "Let go of my big broder (brother) ya sheaweed-head!" she slurred, tugging Oz's right arm.

"He'sh not your broder, he'sh my mashter!" Gilbert retorted, pulling Jack's left arm.

"No-nya! He'sh mine!" Cheshire hissed as he tugged the gold-haired male from the clutches of the black-haired male and the brown-haired Chain.

"Cheshire?" Oz exclaimed as he helplessly squirmed in the Neko-Chain's arms.

"Gimme my-hic-Mashter back-hic-," Gilbert hiccpued as he tugged on Oz's right arm.

"He'sh _my_ broder!" Alice slurred, pulling Oz's left arm.

"Mine-nya!" Cheshire hissed as he tried tugging Oz from around the waist.

"Ara?" Break asked as he rubbed his head and looked around. "What happened? I could have sworn just drinking a few glasses of juice…"

"Someone help me!" Oz suddenly shouted.

At that, Sharon who'd been dozing on the couch looked up and gave a small giggle.

Three holes appeared in the ground underneath both Chains and man that were fighting over the gold-haired male.

Oz stared blankly at the ground until he heard a familiar whinny.

Looking up, Jack saw his uncle scrambling away from Eques who was standing behind the couch where a drunk Sharon lay.

"Eques?" Oz exclaimed before looking into each of the three holes in the floor, panicking. "Alice? Gil? Cheshire? Are you all alright?"

Oz continued calling for them until he heard footsteps headed his way. Looking up, he saw a flushed Sharon standing in front of him, a lazy grin on her lips.

"I saved you!" Sharon giggled before collapsing into Oz's arms.

Just then, Alice, Gilbert and Cheshire skipped back into the room, each holding a basket fully of flower petals.

Jack, Oscar, and Break watched as the three of them danced around the room, scattering flower petals about the room singing the nursery rhyme, "A-Tisket-A-Tasket".

This continued for a few more minute until each collapsed from exhaustion.

Silence reigned over the room for a few moments.

"That was unexpected," Break said, breaking the quiet.

Oz and Oscar nodded in agreement as the gold-haired man laid the strawberry-blonde-haired girl on the couch.

"Well," Oscar said, "Let's all have another round!"

Oz just slammed his fist into his uncle's head in response.

* * *

-Balcony-

"Elliot Nightray, huh?" Break muttered to himself.

"I should have known you were here, Break," Oz said, coming to stand next to the white-haired man, "Everyone else is out like light."

Break looked at Oz for a split second before sipping at his wine and say in, what seemed to be a somewhat drunk voice, "That's right! I'll be hitting the sack soon, too!"

"Hmm, I see…" Oz said, "Or so I may say, but you're truly not very drunk are you? At least not right now you aren't."

Oz smirked at the white-haired male.

Break spit out his wine and looked at oz with a grimace before wiping the small trail of the alcoholic beverage that was slipping down his chain. "You really are an insufferable brat."

"I'm truly honored by your praise," Oz said lazily, "But why go to the trouble of acting fully drunk when you were only about half of the way there?"

"It would've spoiled the mood," Break said, "And even if I wanted to get completely drunk, I couldn't have done so. I always have a small thought lingering at the back of my head telling me that there is something to live for; something I must do."

"It's still an commendable feat that you can actually hold you liquor; well at least to an extent," Oz said. "Many people usually succumb to its influences after a glass or so, as our friends did."

"True," Break agreed, "but then again, you hadn't taken a single sip, did you?"

Oz chuckled as he shook his head. "No I did, but even I know when to stop. Anyway, who would keep everyone out of trouble if I was drunk as well? Alice and Gilbert as well as Cheshire had done things I highly doubt they would want to remember without being embarrassed. And Sharon-san was just completely out of Character. Uncle Oscar was in control, though he continued to urge everyone. And then there _was_ you…"

At this Break turned to the gold-haired man. "What are you talking about? What do you mean by 'And then there was you…'? What did I do while I was _actually_ drunk?"

"You don't remember?" Oz asked, surprised.

"Would I be asking if I did?" Break deadpanned.

"Ehe, I suppose not, but are you sure you really _want to know_?" Jack asked, hesitantly.

"Of course," Break said confidently, "I couldn't have done anything that would scar anyone for life."

'_I truly beg to differ,'_ Jack thought with a mental laugh before placing a finger on the white-haired male's forehead as it glowed a faint-white.

Break's confident expression turned to that of a mixture of embarrassment and slight horror.

"My, my," Break said, "I caused quite a bit of trouble, didn't I?"

"You have absolutely no idea," Jack sighed in exasperation.

"But I'm completely flummoxed as to why you couldn't keep me in line as you did for the others?" Break asked with a smirk. "Was I too much for you to handle or were you just plain weak?"

"Oh shut-up why don't you, you git," Jack said as a slight flush crept up his cheeks.

"What'd ya shay?" came Gilbert's voice, heavily laced with the influence of alcohol. "Shtop inshultin' my mashter, Break!"

"And there would be my good friend and valet," Jack said looking towards the black-haired male that was only a year younger than him.

"Ara, please don't pick a fight again," Break said lazily as Raven stumbled lightly as he walked towards the gold-haired male.

"I got shomething-hic-that I need-hic-to tell ya-hic, Mashter," Gilbert slurred, continuing to walk towards Jack.

"What is it?" Jack asked softly as Raven clamped both of his hands down on his shoulders before slumping over.

"Pleashe, Mashter," the black-haired male pleaded as tears fell from the golden orbs, "Pleashe try and take better care of yarshelf. If ya don't, I don't know what I'll do!" And with that Raven slumped to the ground as he cried.

"First he's drunk and then he's gone maudlin?" Jack asked softly, confused, yet amused at the same time.

"If he didn't, then it wouldn't be as much fun, now would it?" Break commented, earning a half-hearted glare from Oz.

"Shut-up, Break," Jack said before turning back to his friend. "Oi, Gil, are you okay?"

Raven stopped crying and looked up and smiled as he said, "Yes, Young Master."

'_Young Master?'_ Jack thought. _'It's been a while since anyone has called me that…'_

"I'm sorry, Gil," Oz said, kneeling down next to his friend and placing a hand on his head. "The entire time, I've been gone; you've been carrying on the guilt of not being able to protect me, right?"

"What are talking about, Oz?" Gilbert asked, finally becoming a bit sober.

"I mean that if there is anytime you need to tell me something just tell me, don't keep me away from it thinking you're protecting me or because I might not understand," Oz stated, "I've learned and faced much more during the last ten years in the Abyss than I would have ever thought when I was still fifteen and living an almost care-free life here."

At this point Break had turned to look at Oz as well, a contemplating expression on his face.

"Next time just tell me, when you have the time, about what happened these last ten years and what happened to you," Oz said, "And I'll open up about my own adventures."

Oz stood up and looked up at the glowing crescent moon in the sky. "Everything always begins with knowing yourself and others that have some connection to you. Nothing is never _not_ connected with one another."

Jack's eyes were hooded for a moment before he looked up and bade everyone a goodnight and walked back into the house.

"Oz!" Gilbert called, reaching out to his friend.

"Well, this was interesting," Break said, perching himself on the railing of the terrace. "I don't even know what just happened."

"But you're a bit better, right?" Emily asked.

"Yeah…" Gilbert said, not noticing Break's gaze upon him, as he watched Oz's hand glow a bit as he lifted Alice on his back and a now feline Cheshire on his right shoulder._'He's grown up so much and no one was there to watch him as grew to become what he is today.'_

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	15. Retrace 14: A Duke & Untold Truths

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Sorry I haven't updated in forever! Unfortunately, because of all the work I had to do, I didn't have time to put any more than three words down on the document before I had to go to bed! So I finished this a bit later than I originally planned.

Alright, I think I may have a bit too descriptive about the clothes, so please just bear with me. I know the outfits I create aren't exactly straightforward, and with my lousy fashion sense that's to be expected, so please don't kill me! Oh, and if I am correct in my reading, I've found out that this takes place somewhat in the Victorian era or some other one a little later than that…So please just bear with the clothing I make up!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~A Duke & Untold Truths~Oo**

"I still don't get why I need to wear this!" Alice exclaimed as the group climbed up the stairs leading up to the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux.

(AN: I needed to have a name for the concert/opera hall they were going to, so I looked up some places, and I found out that this opera hall looked almost like the one in the anime.)

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Alice was wearing a lovely red dress that had a dark-burgundy floral pattern. The dress had a pair of ¾ sleeves that flared out with a sweet rose-coloured fabric that had a dark-magenta floral pattern. The bodice was the same dark-burgundy, but only a sliver of it showed, as there was white ruffled fabric on the bodice with dark-burgundy laces crisscrossing in the front and laced up in the back. Her skirt was made of the same red fabric, although it split into an upside-down 'V', from which the same sweet rose-coloured fabric was revealed in a layered pattern while underneath the skirt itself were three layers of white fabric. The dress had a sweetheart neckline.

She wore a pair of simple red heels and a pair of white wrist-length gloves with flared fabric at the end with a red rose corsage on her left wrist. Her hair was in a sort of half style of sorts; the braids she wore usually were kept but pulled back along with a small portion of her hair and pinned to the right side of the back of her head with a red rose and white-lace ornament. To finish off the look, a simple sweet-rose-coloured ribbon served as a choker with a single small ruby teardrop-gem hanging from it.

A feline Cheshire was in her arms with a dark-burgundy ribbon tied in a bow around his neck.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Shut-up, Baka Usagi," Gilbert muttered, "It's required."

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Gilbert wore a pair of black dress slacks, a white button-down shirt, a pair of black loafers, and a black Justaucorps coat. He also wore a pair of white wrist-length gloves and his hair was tied back in a tiny ponytail with most of his hair framing his face as it couldn't be bound.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Gil," Oz chastised lightly before turning his head back to a fuming Alice, "And stop complaining; you look lovely."

Alice flushed lightly.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Oz wore a pair of dark-brown breeches, a white long-bell-sleeved shirt that had large lacey-ruffles at the ends, and a brown waistcoat with brown buttons. He also wore a deep-maroon Justaucorps coat that went to an inch after mid-calf, had gold lining and fastenings (which were left open), and the deep turn-over cuffs of the coat were the same deep-maroon but lined with gold, and the ruffles of the shirt he wore were poking out of the coat-sleeve.

He also wore a pair of dark-brown boots with a black heel (like the ones that the REAL Jack Vessalius wears), a pair of white-wrist-length gloves, and his hair was left the way it usually was, just as his ear piercings were kept the same. His sword was sheathed and hung at his side.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Break, on the other hand, was wearing his Pandora uniform; coat buttoned and all, his black cane serving as a walking stick. Unfortunately, Emily wasn't on his shoulder as she usually was.

'_Why has he called us today?' _the white-haired man thought suspiciously. _'He's rejected all of my requests to see him so far, and yet now, he invites us on his own. He's planning something. And knowing him the way I do, it can't be for a particularly good reason.'_

* * *

As the group walked through the halls, Oz wondered why Duke Barma had invited _all_ of them, rather than just the one he needs.

"Why did Duke Barma just grant us an audience all of a sudden?" Gilbert asked the very question on almost everyone's mind.

"I don't know," Oz admitted, "But I have faith that whatever he's called us here for can either help us, or just end up making a larger ditch with the small hole we've already dug."

They stopped once they saw Liam standing in front of a curtain.

"Hello," the chestnut-haired man smiled at them briefly before his face became devoid of emotion, "My master, Duke Barma is waiting for you just beyond here." And with that, he drew the red draping back, letting the group of four in before going in himself and letting the fabric drop back over the doorway.

(AN: Look at pictures online of the theater they're in, 'cause I'm waaay too lazy to even try describing it)

The group of four looked around the small balcony-room only to see it empty, save for a table laden with tea and sweets.

"There's no one here?" Liam asked no one in particular.

Just then, Raven started at something behind the group. He looked up to see some kind of a person chuckling.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The 'Person' was a plump man was large beady eyes, and a huge moustache. He wore a large top-hat on his head, complete with a tuxedo and white gloves.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"W-What's that supposed to be?" Gilbert all but shouted as Liam sweat-dropped.

The man started to bounce up and down as everyone but Oz and Break looked at him as if he were some kind of abomination.

"Duke Barma, I presume?" Jack guessed, emotionlessly.

"Indeed I am!" the man exclaimed, hanging upside-down from the ceiling.

"Pleased to make your aqu—," Jack began greeting in the same tone before he was cut off by the strange-looking man.

"You're so dull!" the man shouted. "Normally people tumble over in confusion when they see me like this, but you're not even batting an eyelid!"

Jack said nothing as everyone else stared at the man.

"You've tried quitting smoking but haven't succeeded yet!" Duke Barma pointed at Gilbert.

"How did you…!" Raven exclaimed.

"There's nothing I don't know! Knowledge is power and knowing makes me happy!" the Duke exclaimed before turning to Oz. "But unfortunately, I don't know anything and yet I know some things about _you_, Jack Vessalius."

"Duke Barma," Jack spoke up, "Why don't you drop the illusion and speak with us face-to-face rather than hiding pathetically behind a creation of yours?"

Everyone but Break and Liam looked at Oz questioningly as the other two (Break and Liam) looked at the gold-haired male with slight surprise.

The 'Duke's' eyes widened before he expanded and burst into confetti.

Jack looked down into the main floor of the theater and leapt down from the balcony despite the protests he'd heard and landed gracefully on his feet on the red rug of the floor.

He looked around at the seats to see that life-like stone mannequins were starting to dissolve. Gazing to one seat in particular, he saw the _true_ Duke Barma sitting with a smirk playing on his lip.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

He had waist-length crimson hair that hung around him in waves as two semi-long strips of hair were hanging over his shoulders with one piece of hair crossing over his face and under his left eye with deep grey-bronze eyes.

He was just a few inches taller than Break. He wore a white Justaucorps coat with a black high-collar neck with black cuffs; the coat also had gold lining and fastenings that were all secured. He wore black slacks and shoes.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Oh dear," he said in a smooth tone, slightly higher than a baritone, "I've been found out."

"It isn't me that you _truly_ wanted here is it?" Jack asked. "You wanted Break to come all because you'd researched his past and you invited all of us because you would get a little bit more information that you felt was important for you to know."

"Very good, Jack Vessalius," Duke Barma stated.

"Jack!" Alice's voice called as both men turned around to see Alice and the other three running after her to them, Cheshire in her arms.

"Ah there you are, Xerxes Break," the red-haired man commented, "Or should I say, Kevin Regnard, the Red-Eyed Demon?"

"You've found out, have you," Break glared, a frown on his face.

Before another word could be said, however, Jack took out three hidden daggers and threw them in a random direction.

"For being someone who knows _almost_ everything," Oz said, "It's surprising you hadn't noticed that someone else was in here with us, and may I add that he _wasn't_supposed to be here?"

Surprised, everyone but Jack looked in the direction the dagger had been thrown, only to see a maroon-cloaked and hooded Baskerville pinned to the wall.

"What the…?" Liam exclaimed.

"Don't go anywhere, Liam-san," Oz said just as the chest-nut-haired man was about to run off in that direction, "I shall take care of him later, but for now…" he lifted his hand and faced his palm towards the Baskerville member and it glowed a faint white as a light of the same type outlined the body of the Baskerville.

"He won't hear a word we say, nor will he be able to move," Oz informed the others before turning to the Duke and Break, "I suggest we speed up this little meeting so I can deal with the intruder quickly."

'_But how did he manage to follow us or find out about our audience with the Duke?'_ Oz thought before tuning into what both men were talking about.

Only to find Rufus Barma running over to Break at a swift speed and slashing at him with the metal fan he carried in his hand.

Break, not expecting this, was too slow to dodge the attack and ended up having his shirt, right were his heart lay, sliced up to reveal an Illegal Contractor's seal that had made a complete rotation.

"Kevin Regnard," Duke Barma said before pointing his closed fan at the stage where stone mannequins of people appeared. "Nearly fifty years ago, an Illegal Contractor wandered the city night after night, sacrificing people to his Chain**-a large shadow appeared behind the mannequins as they dissolved-**, so the story goes. His red eyes that were suspended in the shadows**-a pair of glowing, red orbs and a faint, shadowy outline of Break's head appear-**made people fear that he wasn't even human. And so they called him…the Red-Eyed Demon."

"Red-Eyed—," Alice began.

"—Demon?" Gilbert finished.

"One hundred and sixteen people," Rufus Barma continued, "Even after sacrificing so many people, he was still cast into the Abyss."

"'Cast into the Abyss'?" Gilbert quoted in shock.

"IS he talking about the Clown?" Alice asked.

"You went through all this to gather information, that's it?" Jack asked, his semi-visible emerald eye glinting as his face was set into an emotionless mask. "You refused all of his requests for an audience and yet you've called us all here today to gather information you desired after searching through his life, am I correct?"

Duke Barma said nothing.

Jack gave a cold smirk. "It really does _irk_ you when you don't anything about something, doesn't it? You truly have a childish way of going about gathering information, ArchDuke."

"I have my theory of what happened," the crimson-haired duke replied, "But I would like to know the full story before anything else is done."

'_**Break,' **_Jack said quietly_**, 'Say whatever you must. There is no reason to be ashamed, as I already know of what occurred. And I believe that it is in your best interests to not keep anymore secrets than you already have.'**_

Break's eyes widened before he gave an imperceptible nod to Jack and sat down in one of the seats as did everyone else, Duke Barma sitting with Liam, a little bit away from Break who sat next to his motley group.

"My true name is Kevin Regnard, as you all now know," Break began, "I was a Knight of my Master's household, but one night when I was away on my duties, I came back to find everything in the house stolen and everyone killed by bandits. Everyone, that is, except the daughter of my Master. I became an Illegal Contractor, thinking I could probably change these events somehow. But then days became months, which turned into years until the seal on my chest had made a full rotation and I had been dragged into the Abyss."

* * *

-Flashback-

"_The seal is complete," Kevin said as he woke up to find himself somewhere he didn't recognize._

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

_The room had a black and red checkerboard floor with shelves full of numerous dolls, toys, and books. There was only one couch in the room and white drapes were hanging down from the ceiling in some places_

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

_As he looked around, he found himself face-to-face with the Cheshire Cat, his eyes wrapped in bandages._

"_A human?" Cheshire questioned before Break whipped out his sword and slashed at the Chain as he leapt away, laughing._

"_Cheshire's scared of a human! Cheshire scared of a human!" the toys on the shelves cackled in ominous tones._

"_Everyone, hush now, you're confusing him," a voice said gently._

_The toys immediately hushed._

_Kevin turned around to see a young girl._

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

_She looked no older than thirteen with snow-white hair that went to her calves with two long side plaits, a lavender tinge to it. She had deep lavender eyes, and pale skin._

_She wore a strapless white gown which had a skirt that looked like she wore a white mini skirt under a floor-length skirt of the same shade that had a large upside-down 'V' slit up the front, revealing her pale legs. On her arms she wore white disconnected sleeves that began about three inches below the shoulder and flowed gently to her fingertips. One leg had her calf wrapped in bandages. She wore a stringy-choker with white-blue roses. The dress had violet ribbons and laced up in the back as violet ribbons crisscrossed over the front. She wore no shoes and held a white bunny in her arms._

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"_Well, what's your name?" the girl asked as she danced around before looking at him. "My name is Alice."_

"_Alice?" Kevin whispered._

_Just then his Chain appeared in a black mass before solidifying into a legless Medieval Knight complete with shield and sword._

"_Albus?" Kevin exclaimed._

"_I've longed to finally meet you, Will of the Abyss," Albus said._

"_Will of the Abyss? This little girl?" Kevin all but shouted._

"_You've brought him to me, then, Ablus?" Alice asked. "Thank you."_

_She bent over and touched the Chain's sword._

"_So his name is Kevin, is it? A loyal Knight who served in a large mansion," Alice said before her face became gleeful and she smiled saying, "But they all died, didn't they?__**-Kevin's eyes widened with shock-**__They were slain in your absence and you couldn't protect them. Even though they were so precious to you, you still couldn't save them!"_

_Alice laughed maniacally._

_That was the final straw for the white-haired man. "Shut up!" he shouted as he pinned Alice to the floor by her neck as a dagger was positioned over her._

"_Alice!" Cheshire shouted in fear._

"_That's why you came here, isn't it?" Alice asked. "You came so that you could change the past just as every other person that ended up here desired. I suppose that being with a Chain for a very long time isn't very good as most people have gone a bit crazy along the way."_

"_But you're different," she said, gripping the dagger to the point where her blood dripped off of the blade, "You seem to have stayed sane. You've killed so many people. What a pathetic fool you are."_

_Kevin's eyes widened before he was knocked off of Alice by Albus._

"_I shan't allow the Will of the Abyss to be harmed!" the Chain shouted._

"_I was talking to him," Alice mumbled before turning to Albus, giving him a gruesome look, "WHY DID YOU INTERFERE!"_

_And with one blink of a lavender eye, Albus exploded, leaving nothing but blood raining inside the room._

"_It's so pretty," Alice commented, "Blood is so pretty, don't you think, Red-Eyed-Demon-san?"_

_Kevin's red eyes widened as he thought to himself, _'What kind of girl is she?'

"_Soon you'll become a Chain! Soon you'll become a Chain!" the dolls and toys cackled._

"_People turning into Chains?" Kevin whispered. "Impossible!"_

"_Oh, but the impossible can always be made possible somehow," Alice said, dancing around the white-haired man, disappearing in one place and appearing in another, "The power of the Abyss turns people into Chain, giving them consciousness while lifeless. It can even control the flow of time itself. At least that's what Glen said."_

"_Glen?" Kevin's eyes widened at the familiar name._

"_I hate Glen and he hates me," Alice said simply as though it was nothing to worry about, "He tried to take __that__ person away from me. And Gilbert, and Vincent…I hate anyone that get's close to __him__."_

_Alice then stopped and said, "I'd almost forgotten, before you become a doll, I need something from you." She plunged three fingers into the white-haired man's left eye, pulling the eyeball out of its socket._

"_It's lovely," Alice smiled lightly._

"_What will you do with eye, Alice?" a doll asked._

"_I'm going to give it to Cheshire," Alice told them as Cheshire smiled, "I've always thought red eyes would look the best on him. It's why I brought him here today."_

_She giggled happily as the dolls screeched with laughter as Kevin writhed in pain on the floor, blood oozing out of his left socket through the fingers that clenched the empty hole._

'That's it then,' _Kevin thought, _'I'm going to die right here.'

_But then, an image of his Master's weeping daughter came to mind and he knew he couldn't give up. So he stood as best as he could and slashed the dolls that danced around the white-haired girl._

_A wickedly happy grin spread across her lips._

_But that grin was wiped off no more than three seconds later as she thrashed about in pain on the floor._

"_Why…so many…flowing into the Abyss…" Alice managed to choke out through her screams._

"_Alice"! Cheshire shouted in concern before turning to the dark doorway where a bright flash of came from._

"_I did it," came a voice, a young voice mind you, "I did just as I was told. I opened the door to the Abyss just as I was told. But then…everyone fell into the Abyss!"_

_Kevin's remaining eye widened as it fell upon a young Vincent carrying a dead Gilbert, both clad in blood-stained clothing._

"_Hello there, Alice," Vincent greeted with a smile._

"_Vincent!" Alice exclaimed, her eyes widening at the familiar voice and person._

"_This is very funny and yet weird as well," Vincent commented, "Alice's hair is white. But you shouldn't be here." He along with Gilbert's body collapsed onto the tiled floor. You're dead; I know you are because I saw!"_

"_What are you doing here Vincent?" Alice demanded._

"_Cheshire never did anything to you-nya!" Cheshire exclaimed, swiping his large paw/arm at the blonde-haired boy and knocked him into a bookshelf._

"_This is my room," Alice said, eyes hooded, "__My__ room! You can't come in here!"_

"_Vincent is a bad boy," the dolls said ominously, "Vincent always cuts us and Alice with scissors."_

"_We never did anything wrong to him!" Alice exclaimed, hate clear in her voice. "I hate him! I hate Vincent!"_

_Just then, without warning, the lavender-eyed girl burst into tears._

_Kevin just looked at the girl as though she were crazy._

"_Don't cry, Alice," the dolls said, trying to comfort the distraught girl, "Hurry up and take the other and give them to Cheshire."_

"_Who's he?" Alice sniffled, turning to look at Kevin. "Ne, who are you?"_

_Once again her personality changed, but this time, miserable to cheerful in a matter of seconds. "Look! It's tea time! Come on, everyone, let's have a tea party!"_

"_Alice's tea party is starting! Alice's tea party is starting!" the dolls chanted as dolls and cups and plates as well as utensils danced around the room._

"_What is this…?" the white-haired man whispered._

"_Oh dear the one Alice is waiting for hasn't come yet," the dolls said._

"_Ne, do you think Jack might not show up again?" Alice asked the dolls and Cheshire around her. "He promised to take me to his house! We'll go see the rose garden and then we'll go through the forest and pick some flowers!"_

_Suddenly, Alice stopped talking as mocking laughter filled the room. The origin of it: Vincent._

"_You're still so foolish and simpleminded," Vincent chuckled mockingly._

"_Ne, Alice, why don't I tell you something nice?" the blonde-haired child asked as Alice looked over to him. "Jack won't be coming anymore; I'm pretty sure he's dead by now, judging from the roses blooming all over his body!" he laughed maniacally._

"_You're lying, Vincent!" Alice exclaimed, not wanting to believe that what had just come out of the child's mouth was true. "Jack wouldn't d—"_

"_Jack will never be coming again! He's dead!" Vincent screamed at the lavender-eyed girl. "He tried to help you, but what really happened is that he died because of __you__!"_

"_No…" Alice breathed, clutching her head and collapsing to the ground, "NO!"_

_The quaint room they were in disappeared as the dimension itself began crumbling._

"_That's right," Vincent laughed, "Break it. Break it all! I can finally be normal!"_

_And with those last words Vincent and Gilbert were thrown upwards by the force that was Alice._

'I can't leave without having done something,'_ Kevin thought before plunging his dagger into the floor and holding onto it so that he wouldn't be pulled upwards as Gilbert and Vincent had._

"_Will of the Abyss! Alice!" Kevin shouted, gaining both Cheshire's and the white-haired girl's attention, "You wanted my right eye, didn't you? Take anything you wish from me, but please change the past!"_

_And all went black._

-End Flashback-

* * *

"I was there with _Vincent_?" Gilbert asked no one in particular.

"Why did the Will of the Abyss call herself Alice?" Liam asked.

"Alice, huh," Rufus Barma said, looking at jack from the corner of his eyes, "the name has been mentioned among the writings passed down in the Barma House. The book was entrusted to a previous Duke Barma—the memoirs of Jack Vessalius."

Everyone, save Alice and Cheshire looked at Jack.

'_What do I do? I can't tell them __that__!' Oz mentally panicked._

'_**You can and you will,'**_came Jack's voice, _**'It's best for them to know from you than from another source.'**_

'_**Alright, but pray that I hope I won't regret this,'**_ Oz said.

'_**Of course!' **_Jack exclaimed as Oz rolled his eyes mentally at Jack.

"Alice was confined to a tower by the Baskerville family, although _I_ never found out the reason," Jack said, not looking at anyone. "Being stuck in that tower, Alice was never able to experience the outside world, and so _I_ wanted to show her the world. She seemed to be a harmless child, but as _I_ visited her, _I_ began noticing that sometimes things with Alice were never as they seemed. The colours she favored varied from time to time, the books she preferred, sometimes she would even lose track of _our_ conversations and even her cat, who adored her, had a hostile attitude towards her at times.

But the atmosphere that surrounded her was what had bothered _me_ the most. The one truth is that the two were raised in the womb of a human woman but one was born in the human world while the other was born in the Abyss."

There was silence.

"Twins?" Gilbert whispered breaking the silence.

"Duke Barma," Break asked, "Was there anything else besides what Jack-san has just told us in his memoirs?"

"After the bit with what we've just heard," Duke Barma said, "were just feelings of regret. But you, Jack Vessalius had stated that Glen Baskerville and his House were after the Will of the Abyss."

Jack said nothing as Rufus Barma turned to look at Alice.

"And where that man dwelt," Duke Barma stated, "a girl who held a connection such as this, was imprisoned. In other words," the crimson-haired Duke grasped Alice's wrist tightly as he pulled her up by it and held a few inches off of the floor, "He needed this girl to obtain the Will of the Abyss. It doesn't matter why or how, but you interest me. I'm sure that Pandora would be glad to study a specimen as fine as you."

That was the final straw for Jack. He stood up and took Alice and placed her behind him.

"I would appreciate it if my charge was left unharmed," Jack glared icily, "For standing before you is not one, but two men."

Break's, Gilbert's, Alice's, and even Cheshire's pupil-less yellow eyes widened when they realized just what the gold-haired twenty-five-year-old was going to tell the crimson-haired Duke.

"What are you talking about?" Duke Barma drawled tonelessly, though and underlying hint of curiosity could be traced in his voice, if heard carefully, that is.

Jack looked at the Duke before chuckling coldly. "You really don't know do you? And it's killing you inside that while you know much about other; you have little to no clue about _me_."

The Duke's eyes narrowed upon the gold-haired male.

Jack chuckled once more at the Duke's expression. "Alright, I suppose I shan't hold back any longer. But before that, tell me: what do you know of Oz Vessalius?"

Rufus Barma raised an eyebrow before answering, "Oz Vessalius was a fifteen-year-old boy that seemed to be normal, although despised greatly by his father. On the day of his Coming-of-Age Ceremony, he set an ancient Prophecy into motion, causing the once Silent Clock Tower to once again be set into motion, calling the Baskerville out of hiding after their hundred year silence. Though many believe him to be dead, Oz Vessalius was really dragged cast off into the Abyss by the Baskervilles. No one has heard nor seen any sign that the boy is alive ever since."

"Your story is both right and wrong, Duke Barma," Jack said casually, "Your information is not untrue, though it isn't exactly complete either."

"Oh?" Duke Barma's other eyebrow rose to join the one already up to his hairline. "And pray tell us what had truly happened then, hm?"

"Gladly," the emerald-eyed man smirked coldly. "Everything up to the point of Oz Vessalius setting the Clock Tower into motion was correct. He did indeed set it back into motion after nearly a hundred years, but it wasn't that which had called the Baskervilles out of hiding. They had known that Oz Vessalius _'Speaking of myself in third person is strange'_ was the one of the Prophecy and had planned ahead of time. After the minute hand moved and the silence was broken, the Baskervilles came and it was time to send him to the eternal prison for his unforgivable sin; his very existence. What no one knows is that after young Gilbert had stabbed Oz once and was about to once more, a man appeared from the seal that was to send Oz to the Abyss.

He fought off the Baskervilles and offered sanctuary to the fifteen-year-old, but was unable to stop him from being dragged down to the dark depths; and so both were cast off into the Abyss. That man was the spirit of Jack Vessalius. Ten years passed in this world and for Oz, the same amount of time had passed in the Abyss as well. During his time there, Oz had grown stronger, older, and wiser, not only in mind, but body and spirit as well. Then, a few weeks ago, Oz Vessalius, with the help of Jack Vessalius' spirit was able to form a _Legal Contract_ with the Blood-Stained Black Rabbit; the B-Rabbit. With the help of his new Chain's power, both he and his Chain escaped from the Abyss, only to end up in the same place he'd disappeared from ten years before.

He was found by Gilbert, or Raven Nightray, Lady Sharon Rainsworth, and Xerxes Break. I won't divulge the many things that had occurred to the group as time went by, but one thing that is to be known is that before Oz had left the Abyss, he and Jack had confirmed and planned with one another that Jack's name would be used as his identity. And now weeks later, he is standing in from of ArchDuke Rufus Barma telling him about the many things he'd faced."

Everyone stared at Jack, speechless.

Gilbert, Alice, Cheshire, and Break looked on at their friend/comrade in surprise, as he'd never divulged to them of what he'd gone through, nor the full truth of what happened.

Liam looked on at the gold-haired man in shock before fainting.

Duke Barma, however, was another thing. He was in a state of shock; his face in an expression which was a cross between looking furious and stunned.

"You expect me to believe any of this nonsense?" Duke Barma chuckled.

"I assure you it is no trick," Jack said seriously with something else in his voice that no one could decipher.

Duke Barma stopped laughing and looked Jack in the eye, or at least looked him in what he could _see_ of his eyes.

"Prove it then," he said, "Prove to me that you are who you claim to be."

"What is it that you wish me to prove?" Jack asked. "Showing you my memories, things that only the _true_ Oz Vessalius would know? Or would you like me to tell you about things only the person I claim to be should know."

"What did Zai Vessalius tell his son many years before when something happened, making Gilbert spend three nights in the dungeons?" Duke Barma smirked.

Oz mentally winced at the tender subject, but brushed it off as soon as it came.

"He said to never touch him with my 'filthy hands'," Oz answered.

"Hmph. That was an easy one," the crimson-haired duke harrumphed before asking another question, "What kind of birth mark did Oz Vessalius have and where?"

"On the back of my neck is a small mark that resembles the image of an Illegal Contractors seal," Oz said, lifting his hair out of the way so that the mark showed.

"Is that enough proof or would you like to hear some things I know about _you_?" Oz asked slyly.

A flash of apprehension went through Duke Barma's eyes before it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

"I believe that that will be enough, Oz Vessalius-sama," the crimson-haired Duke bowed his head in respect towards the member of the Vessalius family that was thought to be lost.

There was silence.

"You're still not telling me something, Hatter," Duke Barma addressed Break, completely ignoring Oz and all that was just said as though it never happened, "Although decades have passed, the name Kevin Regnard has not been forgotten. If this situation were to be leaked out and eventually reach Pandora, you'll be executed immediately."

Break glared at the Duke as Jack's eyes narrowed.

"If you would come with me, there is still much more information that I would like to obtain from you," Duke Barma said as he went over to Break, only to be stopped as Oz stepped in front of the ArchDuke.

"Step away, Vessalius-sama," Duke Barma said.

"Not a chance," Oz chuckled, "and I believe that you've forgotten that I am no longer the naïve child I used to be."

"Are you defending that sinner?" the Duke asked. "It is unusual for you to put in this much effort for that man."

"Now, now, don't say it like that; it's actually quite simple, really," Jack said in a carefree voice before it morphed into an ominously scary tone as a deadly glare was directed at the crimson-haired male, "Compared to Break, you tick me off at least fifty times more than he does."

"I'm sure that with that little leak of information, you could put Pandora in quite the uproar," Oz said, his tone becoming confident and regal, "And with the right manipulation from your end, things will go your way in no sooner than a few hours or days."

Jack smirked at the Duke. "But you realize that I can do that as well, don't you? With the name of Oz Vessalius, I can do much, but with the name Jack Vessalius serving as my identity, I can do more and cause more to happen than you can imagine. I can turn your words, even members of your house against you if needed."

"You would abuse the name of a hero?" the crimson-haired Duke asked. "Filthy brat."

"Abuse, no. Use, yes," Jack answered. "For Jack and I are not two separate entities; he is I, just as I am him. We are both one in the same."

"As for your comment," Jack continued. "A filthy brat I may be, completely childish at times as well. I don't know just how much power or influence I have, but I'm clever. And I'll use every and any means possible to protect my friends and family!"

Duke Barma raised his metal fan upon Oz and the gold-haired man kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.

But before he (Rufus Barma) could strike, he found a pistol and a sword being directed at him.

By now, Liam was awake and was cleaning his glasses in panic as his jaw dropped and incoherent sounds spewed from his mouth.

"What's the matter, Duke Barma?" Jack asked, smirking. "You don't seem very confident in your actions now. I wonder why?"

"You'll all regret this one day," Rufus Barma gritted out before turning away and walking off, not noticing the soft white glow around him temporarily.

Liam followed after his master.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO?" Oz shouted.

"What do mean 'What did I just do'?" Break asked. "You just told off one of the most powerful and longest living of the Four Dukes."

"That doesn't help, Break," Oz grimaced. "I know what I said, but the entire thing was subconscious. Up to the point of after I'd proved who I was, was me doing the talking, but after that, I don't know what happened. I suppose I just…snapped. I began reciting how I would do things if worse came to worse, but I hadn't planned on saying those things!"

"Idiot, you're too much trouble…as always," Gilbert sighed as he lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth.

"Ne, Jack-nii?" Alice asked.

"Hmm?" Jack replied.

"Can we eat now?" Alice asked, making everyone, including Cheshire stare at her.

"When we get back to the manor you can have whatever you like, alright?" Oz chuckled.

Break stood and was about to leave when the gold-haired man walked up to the white-haired male.

"It wasn't easy for you to speak of what had happened because of the guilt you still hold within yourself," Oz stated, "But thank you for telling them everything. As I'd already known from the rumors and memories scattered around the Abyss."

"There's no need to thank me," Break said, "It isn't as though I've told you _everything_ yet."

"Does that truly matter?" Oz said, amused.

"Look here, you," Break said, turning to face the emerald-eyed man, "I'm an Illegal Contractor so—"

"'So' what?" Oz retorted softly. "There's no need for you to say anything if needed, and if you've noticed, no one here cares about your past. But rather more about who you are today; a man searching for a reason to truly live."

"And even though you hadn't said it many words," Oz said, "You're using us all, just as in some way, we're using you. Your past has nothing to do with anything going on in this period. So don't dwell on things that have already passed. Some things couldn't be helped and if they could have, well, you were just too late to realize."

"Using each other…?" Alice murmured. "So in other words, we're comrades!" she exclaimed, eyes shining brightly.

"Comrades?" Break repeated, glancing at Oz, who just shrugged, showing that he had no idea what gave Alice that idea.

Just then, right out of the blue, Alice began laughing haughtily.

Oz looked at the girl he thought he knew so well, laugh the way she did, in shock.

Oz could feel Jack's surprise as well. _**'This is…interesting. She never did this when we were together.'**_

'_**Maybe because she doesn't remember anything, nor has she been through what happened in her past life is the reason for this,'**_ Oz suggested.

'_**Maybe…'**_ Jack trailed off.

Break sweat-dropped as he watched the chocolate-haired girl laugh.

"Alice," Oz called, gaining the Chocolate-haired girl's attention, "If you would like to eat, then I suggest you hurry and get into the carriage."

Alice smiled at him before running off, with Gilbert running after him, muttering about 'meat-crazy baka-usagis'.

"Break, you go on with them, I'll be a minute," Oz said, looking at the maroon-cloaked figure pinned to the wall.

Seeing what the gold-haired man was staring at, Break only nodded and walked after them, Cheshire lying over his shoulder.

* * *

After Break had left, Oz raised his hand and sealed all of the known and unknown exits and erected a barrier preventing anyone but himself from escaping the theater with either their own power or their Chain's.

The gold-haired man. Then summoned the daggers he'd thrown earlier and cancelled the spells he'd placed on the Baskerville member.

Immediately, the figure tried to use his Chain's power and get away, but found that his Chain was not responding; in fact, he couldn't even feel the link between them!

The figure watched Oz warily from underneath his hood.

"Oh for goodness' sake," Oz said quietly, "You know you can speak, don't you? Or have you forgotten that as well?"

"What do you want?" the figure asked in a neutral voice.

"I would like to know how you found us, thank you very much," Oz replied.

"That is none of your concern, Jack Vessalius," the figure said, spitting out his name as though it were poison.

"Oh dear, it seems that we're a little angry are we?" Oz teased.

"Come now, why don't you reveal yourself? After all, I know who you are," Oz mock-chastised.

"Do you now?" the voice continued, still in the neutral tone.

"Of course," Oz said casually before his lips contorted into a wickedly cold smirk, "_Zai Vessalius_."

That said, Oz raised his hand and waved it lightly, causing a slight non-existent breeze to blow the Baskerville's hood off, revealing just the person Oz had confronted. Zai Vessalius; his father.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Zai Vessalius had hair similar to that of Oz's but lighter by a few shades that hung just pas his shoulders in light layers. His skin was a slight bit darker than Oz's and his eyes weren't the stunning emerald-green, Oz's was; no, his eyes were a deep-forest-green. And a single wide X-shaped scar was on his left cheek below his left eye.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"How?" Zai growled.

"Simple actually, when you've trained in learning things many have probably never even heard of for the last ten years," Oz stated casually.

"What do you want?" Zai asked, once again going back to the neutral tone.

"Nothing really, I just wanted to know why you followed us and what you hoped to gain from the meeting you were _so conveniently_ left out of," Oz said simply as he paced around the maroon-robed man.

Zai was silent.

"Of course, if you _had_ been able to listen in, you would have found out about your son," Oz said, baiting him, though Zai seemed not to notice.

"What about that filthy brat?" Zai snarled at the gold-haired man stepping around him.

"The fact that he has escaped from the Abyss and has formed two _Legal_ Contracts with two powerful Chains," Oz replied, continuing his path around the man.

"_What?_" Zai hissed.

"He. Has. Escaped. The. Abyss," Oz said slowly, enunciating each word carefully as though speaking to a child of two.

"_Where is he?_" Zai barked. "Where is that filthy sinner?"

"He is standing before you," Oz said simply, stopping to look his father in the eye.

"What?" the light-gold-haired man hissed in disbelief.

"Hello, _father_," Oz greeted sarcastically.

* * *

**Links:**

**Alice's Dress Sleeves: **_www . gretasbridal GretaSleeves . htm_  
(Okay, I know that this website, if any of you decide to see it, is probably THE last place anyone might look at for styles. But go down to the picture that has the words '_3/4 Sleeve_' underneath it; right next to the picture with the words '_Bolero Sleeve_' underneath. In other words, the first picture of the second row.)

**Pink Fabric in Skirt of Alice's Dress:** _studiocworld db5/00437/studiocworld _uimages/GreenSkirt59 . jpg_ (The Pink fabric in the skirt is layered/tiered just like the skirt on this dress.)

**Gilbert's & Oz's Dress Slacks:** _images1 . /product-images-dbec7bf2213419a0-jpg_sqthumb_large-menspantsandslacks-mens-plaid-straight-fit-dress-pants . jpg_ (I decided to add in a link so that people know at least that this is what I was talking about)

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	16. Retrace 15: Honest Truth

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: I'm really sorry about not updating for so long, but you readers must understand that after a long day, one _does_ get tired. And unfortunately, weekends are just as busy as weekdays for me, it seems. Though it hadn't been that way before. So I may just have to wait until I have an _actual_ rest period of time to be lazy to write. Enjoy the chapter!

…Even if it _is_ a bit on the short side…

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Honest Truth~Oo**

Oz tuned out whatever Break was saying as he looked out the window of the carriage, thinking about what had happened only moments before.

* * *

-Flashback-

"_Hello __father__," Oz greeted sarcastically._

"_How did you escape you filthy brat!" Zai demanded with his eyes narrowing into slits._

"_What no 'how are you' for the son that has been gone for so long?" Oz taunted._

"_Silence and answer me this instant!" The older man commanded._

"_Let's just say that a little __rabbit__ and a __legend__ helped me," the gold-haired man told his father._

"_What do you sp—," Zai began to shout before he realized what his son had just said. "Rabbit?" he whispered. "__You__ of all people used the __B-Rabbit's__ power to help you escape?"_

_Oz said nothing as he looked at the man who was his father through piercing emerald eyes._

"_How did you age?" Zai asked in disbelief, for he __knew__ that one cannot age in the Abyss because of the time warp that occurs in the place._

"_That is none of you concern, Zai," the emerald-eyed man stated._

"_How dare you, you insignificant, ungrateful child!" Zai roared. "I've done more for you than you know! I'd given you a home when I should have thrown you out into the streets very moment your mother birthed you! Ins—"_

"_That's right," Oz murmured before raising his voice to address Zai, "You were never there the night mother died. You were away on 'buisness' or so it was said. But I knew that you had something to do with mother's death. Although I don't have all the information I need to prove my accusation valid, I have quite a bit that will help shed light onto the age old mystery."_

"_You suggest that __I__ killed Rachel?" Zai's eyes widened in disbelief._

"_Maybe I am, and then again maybe I am not," Oz said before he snapped his fingers, creating a bit of a light show as he disappeared._

-End Flashback-

* * *

"Oz-nii?" Alice called, waving her hand in front of said man's face. When she gained no response, she smacked her Contractor upside the head.

"What the—?" Oz muttered before turning to his charge. "What was that for?"

"You weren't listening to me?" Alice shrugged. "What were you thinking about anyway?"

"It was nothing," Oz told the violet-eyed girl.

"Was it by any chance a _lady friend_?" Break asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Oz blushed at the insulation before telling the white-haired male to 'kindly shut-up'.

* * *

-Rainsworth Manor-

"Ada?" Oz asked as they all stepped out of the carriage. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my spring holiday," Ada explained, "So I decieded that since you and the others came to visit last time, I'd visit this time!"

"Ada?" Gilbert said as he stepped out of the carriage behind his Master.

"Huh?" Ada murmured before a dreamy look settled onto her features once she glanced at the black-haired man.

Just then, Oz and his valet felt a disturbingly dark aura behind them. Turning around, they found Oscar Vessalius standing there, a piercing glare locked onto Raven as said man began sweating profusely.

"Ada," Oscar drawled sweetly, "Why don't you come with Uncle and tell him what's been going on in school?"

Gilbert sighed in relief as Oz just sweat-dropped.

'_**Oscar seems to be a funny fellow,' **_Jack commented.

'_**He can be a bit…eccentric at times, but his heart is in the right place,'**_ Oz told his incarnation, before remembering a few of their past and present escapades,_**'Well…mostly at least.'**_

"Actually, Uncle," Oz spoke up as said man began dragging the poor girl away, "There is something that I must speak with Ada about, and no this cannot wait." He gave a glare to his Uncle before gesturing to his little sister to follow him.

He left behind once fuming Uncle, a confused and afraid valet, an oblivious girl with a sleeping cat, and a suspicious man.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"What did you need to tell me, Onii-chan?" Ada asked once they reached the room Oz currently occupied in the manor.

"I know that you are in love with Vincent Nightray**-Ada blushed-**, Ada," Oz told his sister straight out, not looking at her, "That's why you stare at Gilbert so much, isn't it? I admit that the both of them _do_ share a resemblance, but they both have _very_ different personalities."

Oz turned and sat on his bed next to his sister. "Vincent isn't as _innocent_ and _good_ as you may perceive him to be. He is involved in more than one occurrence, but one in particular that he hopes that no one will find out."

"Do you remember when I'd told you Alice was a Chain?" Oz asked and received a nod in return. "Believe it or not, but Alice was never a Chain to begin with. She was originally a young and innocent girl with a strange and mysterious, and some may even call it dark, secret. She was somewhat of a normal girl that lived happily, albeit her strange nature…until her murder along with Cheshire's nearly one hundred years before."

"Murdered? One hundred ye—" Ada began questioning before she realized what her brother had just said. "Nearly one hundred years ago? Then that would have meant that Alice was…"

"Yes," Oz said gravely, "Alice was there one hundred years ago at the Tragedy of Sabrièl. It was there and then that her life as a _'normal'_ girl ended."

"Alright," Ada said, still in a bit of shock, "But what does this have to do with Vincent?"

"Tell me what do you know of Vincent other than the fact that he is Gilbert's younger brother?" Jack inquired.

Ada blushed. "Well, I know he's smart and specializes in information about the Abyss," she said trying to defend herself.

"Do you know why he does or anything else about him?" the elder male pressed.

"…no…" Ada muttered.

"Ada, do you remember when Gilbert came to Vessalius Manor?" the gold-haired man asked.

She nodded.

"Do you remember that no matter what, he would never speak of his past, claiming to have lost it?" he asked again.

Once again, she nodded.

"It was also around that time that Vincent was found in the Nightray Gardens just as Gilbert was found in the Vessalius Gardens," Oz told his sister, "Did you know that?"

Ada shook her head in negative this time.

"Ada, Vincent and Gilbert aren't from this time," Jack began slowly, "They, in fact, are from nearly a hundred years in the past. They lived in Sabrèl during the Tragedy. Gilbert had died, but Vincent had still lived, though he had gone a bit mad in the end and did horrible things."

"Vincent…was from…a hundred years ago?" Ada said slowly as she processed what her borther had just stated. "What did he do?" she asked in a quiet whisper.

"Do you remember when I told you a few moments ago about Alice's and Cheshire's murders during the Tragedy?" Oz asked before continuing without waiting for an answer from his sister. "As I'd said before, Vincent had gone a bit…mad after Gilbert had been killed, trying to protect the Master that they had then from a fatal blow. Someone, I won't say whom, but someone told Vincent that there was a way to save both him and his brother. And being loyal to his brother to a fault, he took that person's advice and did something that caused the entire balance of this dimension during the Tragedy to go haywire. He killed Alice.

"He'd killed Cheshire first to make Alice, for the lack of a better word, sad and angry. After that, he'd killed Alice, causing the entire town to be sent into the Abyss."

Jack looked down at his sister to see her crying with a heartbroken expression painted on her features.

"I'm sorry that I told you all this," the elder male said as wrapped an arm around his sister puling her to his chest, "But if I hadn't and you'd gotten involved with him, he either may never have told you or you might have found out in a cruel and unexpected way."

Oz held his sister as she wept over her first heartbreak until she slumped against him, asleep.

He picked Ada up into his arms and laid her on the bed and tucked her in before walking out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Ada," Jack whispered sadly before shutting the door.

Oz opened the door to the room where everyone had gotten drunk once-upon-a-time, and entered to see Break sitting on the armrest of the armchair Sharon sat in, Alice lay asleep across a couch with Cheshire splayed over her stomach, and Gilbert sat on another couch just across from Sharon and Break.

The white-haired man raised an eyebrow in question at the emerald-eyed male.

Seeing the look directed at him, Oz sighed and just said, "There was just something I needed to take care of before things got too out-of-hand."

Break stared at the twenty-five-year-old for a few moments before nodding.

Oz, then took a seat, awaiting the inevitable conversation he knew was going to come sooner or later.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	17. Retrace 16: Reenactions & Unknown Peices

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: I'm really sorry about not updating for so long, but I'm like wicked busy sometimes, and because of that, very tired. Now in this chapter, I've added in a new character based off of an already known one, so I hope you like it! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Reenactions & Unknown Peices~Oo**

The group sat in silence, waiting for someone to break it, though the only sounds heard were the soft snores of Alice and Cheshire.

"So, then, how did your meeting with the Baskerville go?" Break asked in his usual happy-go-lucky attitude, but you could tell that he was quite serious about the question.

"Fine," Oz said after a pause, "Though I believe that I may have put him into shock with the information that I'd revealed about myself."

At this, everyone sat up straighter.

"You did what?" Gilbert all but yelled; eyes wide in shock and disbelief.

"I. Told. The Baskerville. Who. I. Really. Was," Oz slowly enunciated each word.

"WHAT!" the black-haired man shouted, somehow managing not to wake Alice or the Neko-Chain.

"Oz-kun," Break began, "Why tell something important to an enemy?"

"Maybe because the enemy I spoke with is my father," Oz said with venom in his voice.

"Father?" Break questioned with a raised eyebrow.

'_It looks like it's finally time to tell them, huh?'_ Oz thought to himself before speaking.

"Yes," he said, "My father. A Baskerville. The _same_ Baskerville who'd sent me into the Abyss in the first place."

All was silent.

Not a word was said.

That is, until a strangled, choking noise came from Raven's throat.

"Zai Vessalius sent you to the Abyss ten years ago, Oz-san?" Sharon asked.

Oz nodded. "I don't know exactly the reason why, although at the time, he'd said that it was because I'd committed what was considered the 'ultimate sin'. But other than that, there is one more thing that he may have something to do with, though I'm not entirely sure if my assumptions are correct, as I still don't have a few pieces of the puzzle that I need."

"Exactly what else was your father involved in?" Break asked curiously, though an underlying tone of seriousness could be detected as well.

"That," Oz told the white-haired man, "Is for me to know and you to _maybe_ find out eventually."

"Cheeky little brat aren't you?" Break's eye twitched.

"I am," Oz gave a cheeky smile in return.

"Ahem," Sharon coughed.

Oz flushed slightly as Break coughed to try and bypass his embarrassment.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Oz asked. "I mean, between stopping the Baskervilles and finding Alice's memories there's not much I can really think of! I know that Alice's memories are usually found in specific things or even Chains possibly."

"Then it's simple as to what you should do now," Break said.

"What?" Jack asked cautiously, slightly fearing the white-haired man's response.

"Just keep on trying to find Alice's memories," Break said simply, "As you find Alice's memories, you just might find a way to stop the Baskervilles."

Jack mulled the thought over in his head for a while before agreeing. "It's true. From what I've been able to find out, the Baskervilles want to gain control of the Will of the Abyss. And in order to do so, they need Alice, but they don't want her to remember anything, as her remembering everything would just end up messing their plans up to the extent where they would need to 'disappear' once more to find another way to claim the 'other' Alice."

Break, Sharon, and Gilbert looked surprised.

"Hmm," Sharon said, "I didn't really think of it that way."

"Well, then, what are we going to do?" Gilbert asked. "It isn't like Oz can just redo everything to find the answers to his problems!"

Everyone blinked at the exclamation before they all broke out into simultaneous grins.

"Gilbert," Oz said as said man turned to him, "You are a genius."

"Huh?" Gilbert said, not realizing what he'd said to elicit such a reaction.

"Oz-kun can go back to the Chapel of Legend and re-perform his Coming-of-Age Ceremony," Break explained, "By doing that, we might be able to find a few more answers to this mystery."

'_And if things happen accordingly,' _Oz thought, _'I might just be able to find about a bit more about my mother's death. Well, that, and I can finally "Come of Age".'_

* * *

-Elsewhere-

'_He's…back?'_ Zai thought in disbelief as he sat atop a building, hidden from everyone, anyone and anything around him. _'But how? Once sent to the Abyss, there is no escape. So…how?'_

'_He dares to blame me for Rachel's death,'_ the Duke Vessalius clenched his fists, _'He has the nerve to blame me for my own wife's death!'_

'_**Ah, but then again, you know that it is somewhat true,'**_ came a voice.

'_Griffyn?' _Zai questioned before realizing just what his Chain had said. _'What are you talking about!'_

(AN: I know this isn't the correct way to spell Griffin, but I want to go about it my own way.)

'_**You'd already joined the Baskervilles by the time your wife was pregnant,' **_Griffyn replied, _**'You knew they were going to test your loyalty by doing something soon, but what it was and when you never knew. Then, about five years after the birth of your son—'**_

'_That abomination of a sinner is NOT my son!' _Zai growled at his chain.

'—_**it was finally time to test just how loyal you truly were,' **_the Chain continued as though his Contractor had never spoken, _**'They gave you two decisions; stay to protect your family from the Nightray invasion or go and heed the call of the Baskervilles.'**_

Zai remained silent.

'_**You chose to heed the call rather than to protect your family,' **_Griffyn told his Contractor,_** 'that choice resulted in your wife's death and the abandonment of the young Vessalius.'**_

'_Abandon?' _The Duke thought to his Chain. _'I never abandoned him! What nonsense do you speak of!'_

'_**I speak only the truth Zai,' **_Griffyn said sternly, _**'You know as well as I do that the day you'd left you wife to die, you abandoned your family. From that day on, you've never taught your son a thing, making him strive just to have his approval of you.' **_Griffyn slightly growled before continuing._** 'And when you'd gotten word that the young Vessalius was the one of the Prophecy, the one who had committed the "gravest of sins", you isolated him from yourself. You left only to appear once more to send him to the Abyss where you'd thought he'd meet his end. And now that you've found out he has come back, you plan to find a way to destroy him, don't you?' **_it wasn't a necessarily a question nor a statement, but rather a combination of both.

The Duke said nothing as he pondered over the words his Chain had just spoken.

* * *

-Chapel of Legend-

Oz walked down the aisle, proud and tall, though wary as well. He began think of the what they'd planned.

Break was to take the place of Oscar in this little recreation, Gilbert was to retain the place he had ten years before, and Alice along with Sharon were to take the places of the two maidens besides Oscar at the original Ceremony. Cheshire was to sit at Alice's feet like a good little kitty.

Jack snickered mentally when he remembered Cheshire's reaction to his place in the plan; the Chain's mouth just dropped open before he threw a hissy-fit, eventually plopping back down on the couch with a huff.

"O, Light of Truth, illuminate thy path," Break recited by heart with the correct gestures, "O, Wind of Truth, grant us thy intelligence. O, Holy Water, grant us thy remedy. In the name of Vessalius, allow the one before us, Oz Vessalius, to become of age."

Break removed his hand, as he turned to Sharon to receive a sword from her hands. "O, Baptismal Sword of the land that supports us, rid this young lad of the impurities that inhabit him. And grant him thy eternal blessing," the white-haired man said, tapping the sword on each of the kneeling twenty-five-year-old's shoulders. "Now the impurities hidden in thyself are gone."

He gave the sword back to Sharon and stepped aside. "So now, please recite thy oath."

Oz stood and walked up the stairs to once-silent clock tower, giving a brief, imperceptible smile to Gilbert.

The gold-haired man knelt in form of the Clock Tower in the position he was in ten years before and began his oath. "Until the day that the fiery pound within me stops, I shall protect the name of Vessalius and its honor. I, now, to this land, my family, and friends, solemnly vow—"

But just like the last time, his oath was interrupted, and coincidentally, in the very same place as it was ten years ago.

A large, bright light erupted from the floor, blinding the group in the chapel.

When the light diminished, there in the place of the light was a Chain of some sort.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

It appeared to be female with short, messy deep-crimson hair that fell just past its shoulders; her hair was parted on the left side of her head, while her bangs swept to the right, only managing to cover a sliver of her right eye. She had deep, soulless grey eyes and _appeared_ as a thirty-year-old woman.

She wore a red mid-thigh length dress that flared out at her waist into a tattered pleated skirt with a deep v-neck. In the top portion of her dress, right where cleavage would have shown through the neckline was black ruffled (though ragged) fabric. That same fabric traveled down from where the neckline ended straight down to the center/middle-front pleat on the skirt where it was the same kind/color of fabric. The dress had one (left) red elbow-length sleeve with black ruffled fabric coming out the ends to about 1½ inches from where the sleeve ended; it had slashes and whatnot through the fabric in various places. The other (right) sleeve, or at least what was to be the right sleeve, looked as though it was torn right off of the dress. It had a slight high black Medici collar, the skirt was decorated with single columns of black diamonds running down each crimson pleat and white tissue-fabric ran underneath the skirt as well.

She also wore a pair of black knee-high heeled lace-up boots, a pair of wrist-length crimson fingerless gloves, a gold crown with a single ruby embedded in the center, and her lips were painted a bloody-crimson. She held a staff-like scepter that was also gold that was about the height from her the top of her neck to the ground.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Who…?" Break choked out, baffled by the appearance of the unknown Chain.

"What the…?" Gilbert whispered, looking at the being with wide eyes.

Cheshire, now back in his humanoid form, and Alice stood looking at the Chain in obvious suspicion and wariness.

Oz's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "La Reine Rouge," he breathed, "The Red Queen."

"What business do you have here?" Oz called out to the Chain, now known as the Red Queen, regaining his composure first.

Both grey orbs slid over to the gold-haired man and stared at him calculatingly.

A few moments of silence passed and although the Red Queen's stare unnerved the emerald-eyed man, he kept up his, strong, emotionless appearance.

"You are the reincarnation of one who was close to the Mistress," the Red Queen finally spoke.

Knowing what she was talking about, Oz only nodded while everyone else, save Break, who had a somewhat knowing expression, looked at him confusedly.

"State you business," Jack ordered.

"I only come of my own will to inform you that another is being sent while one you know is coming," the Red Queen explained.

"Where and when?" Jack only asked.

"One shall appear a few hours from now a little ways from here," the Red Queen informed, "and the known is coming without his Contractor's knowledge shortly."

Jack only gave a curt nod.

"Then I bid you adieu…Saviour," the Chain bowed her head to the gold-haired male before using her scepter to open a portal of sorts and stepping through it.

"What was that all about?" Gilbert cried out in disbelief.

"That, my friend," Jack said, "was the Red Queen. It seems that she had come on her without orders to tell me that there will a Chain appearing somewhere nearby a little lat er and that another Chain is coming to see me without letting its Contractor know."

"A Chain acting of its own will?" Break mused. "Uncommon and rare, but definitely not impossible."

"Indeed," Oz said before a black vortex opened before the twenty-five-year-old.

From the black current, a shower of black feathers spilled out of it only to spin into a twister that was surrounded by a violet light as it formed a shape. Then, when the shape or form was complete, the feathers erupted once more to shower down all over the chapel to reveal Griffyn.

"Griffyn?" Oz asked before dunning his emotionless persona. "What business do you have here?"

'_**I have come to inform you that which you need to complete the mystery of your mother's death,' **_Griffyn responded, projecting the information straight into the gold-haired male's mind. _**'There is something else you must know, young Vesslaius.'**_

'_**What?' **_Oz asked.

'_**The Elder Duke Vessalius, my Contractor has become indecisive. He knows not which path to follow any longer,' **_Griffyn explained, _**'I believe you may need to step in soon and help him.'**_

'_**I shan't give you any promises,' **_Oz told the Chain, _**'But I will tell you this: if he ever sincerely needs help in choosing the correct path, know that I will only show him the paths he may follow and what will become of him, nothing more, nothing less.'**_

'_**As you wish, Young Vessalius,'**_ Griffyn bowed his head once to the emerald-eyed male before disappearing in a shower of black feathers.

Before anyone could say anything, a large black feather with a violet sheen to it appeared in Jack's hand.

'_**If my assistance is ever needed, use this to call for me and I shall come whether I am occupied or not,'**_ Griffyn's voice echoed in his head.

"Was that…?" Gilbert asked quietly.

"It was," Jack nodded before faint screams of fear reach the group's ears, "But that also means that our other Chain has arrived."

And with that, the entire group ran out of the church and towards the place where the screams originated from.

* * *

**Links:**

**Medici Collar: **_katerina . purplefiles garb/diaries/pics/lace%20Maria%20di%20Cosimo%20Alessandro%20allori%20detail . gif_

**Red Queen's Crown **(This is the design, but imagine it in the way I described it)**: **_dancecheer spiritmall/images/T/RoyalDuchesse_400 . jpg_

**Red Queen's Sceptre: **_www . royalexhibitions BCJ%20photo%20Sceptre%20with%20dove%20web . jpg_

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	18. Retrace 17: The Final Shard

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Sorry for not updating in so long! But I've had a REALLY bad case of writer's block!

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~The Final Shard~Oo**

Oz, Alice, Break, and Gilbert along with Cheshire arrived at Reveille to see hordes of Chains attacking the city left and right.

"What's going on?" Gilbert said in shock and disbelief as he watched more and more Chains appear.

Oz took a look at the Chains that were attacking and immediately recognized them, absentmindedly braiding a tiny section of his long hair to the feather Griffyn had given him at the same time.

"They're Trumps and Trump Cards," Oz stated, causing everyone to direct their attention over to him.

"What are you talking about, Oz-kun?" Sharon asked curiously.

"These Chains that are attacking aren't the highest level that you would expect to find," Oz explained, pointing to the specified Chains, "As Alice and I had explained quite a while back, Trumps and Trump Cards are the weakest Chains within the Abyss."

* * *

The Trump Cards had large, bulgy white heads with button eyes and mouths that were sewn shut, but came apart when they opened their mouths. Their bodies were long and heavy, but skinny with no legs. They wore green long-sleeved coats with lines of either black clubs (clovers in general terms), black spades, red hearts or red diamonds going down the center strip of white on the coats.

The Trumps, however, varied.

One look just like the hedgehog, they'd once faced. Another looked like a human child's head upon the body of an arachnid. And another was a caterpillar with multiple tongues and eyes that had a human wrist and hand attached to the arm of a strong reptile-like demon; it shot out missile-like blasts from its nails.

* * *

"What are the differences between the two?" Break asked, interested at the bit of information.

"Trumps and Trumps Cards can be grouped into the same category, but they aren't the same _type_ of Chain," Oz told everyone, "Trumps attack alone and whenever they choose to do so. Trump Cards, on the other hand, are much different; they are considered the 'pawns of the Abyss'."

"Pawns of the Abyss?" Gilbert interjected. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"That means that while Trumps also obey the Will of the Abyss' command," Oz told everyone, "Trump Cards carry out everything together and stick together fighting for the Abyss herself. In a battle against her, she will always use the Trump Cards first before throwing out any other trump or higher –leveled Chain."

"And you would know this how…?" Gilbert narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I-um-you _could _say that I ended up fighting against her once because I fell over and broke her teacup when I stumbled into her lair," Oz laughed nervously, while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

* * *

-Pandora Headquarters-

"There's been a massive outbreak of Chains?" a man cried out. "How? That many Chains can't just appear without a Summoner!"

"We don't know, sir," a Pandora member tried to calm the man down, "we just got word a few minutes ago that Chains had started to appear in Reveille!"

"I want every member of Pandora down at Reveille to stop this madness!" another shouted in outrage.

But unfortunately, before another word could be said, the doors to the meeting hall burst open to reveal a mass of Trump Cards dragging themselves in.

"Why are all these Trump Cards attacking?" someone shouted, as half of the Pandora members tried to get all the nobles and aristocrats out of the room as the other half tried to fight off the Chains.

* * *

-Reveille-

"It can't be the Baskervilles causing this, isn't it?" Gilbert assumed.

Break nodded. "I have no doubt that for once, the Baskervilles _aren't_ the source of the problem this time, but something else is. But the question is: What is it?"

"Abyss," Alice spoke, "It's the Will of the Abyss. She's the source."

"What do you mean by that, Alice?" Jack asked, slightly panicked, but not showing it.

"The Will of the Abyss is crying out and the Trumps and Trump Cards are all expressing her feelings," Alice explained, "at least…that's what it feels like."

"Maybe Alice-san can sense the feelings of the Will of the Abyss herself," Sharon suggested, her fun-loving air replaced by a serious one as her expression reflected the horror she felt at seeing the town up in flames.

"So grief is what caused the balance of the Abyss to shift," Break mused.

Just then, the platform they all stood on was blasted by the caterpillar-like Trump.

"I believe that we've just received an invitation," Oz said. He spread his arms at both of his Chains and calling out, "Cheshire Cat! B-Rabbit!"

The seal on Alice's and Cheshire's powers were released as Alice shifted into her Rabbit form and Cheshire began slashing at the Trumps with his claws, just as Alice did with her scythe and spear-tipped chains.

"We shall fight as well," Sharon said, before calling out, "Eques!"

The black unicorn Chain appeared and charged right through the group of Trumps headed in her direction, sending them up in flames.

Break just said, "Mad Hatter."

Said Chain appeared and it, too began attacking the Chains in its path, as Break slashed through them, dissolving them, with the hidden sword within his cane.

Gilbert shot any Chain in his path, while oz used his powers and the blood-crusted blade (which always managed to look new when he used it) that always hung at his waist.

Oz hacked through another Chain before a flashed of black caught his eye. Looking over in that direction, he saw the feather he'd braided into his hair and immediately got an idea.

Concentrating on the Chain he was about to bring out, he quietly said, "Griffyn, I have need of you."

* * *

-Elsewhere-

Zai Vessalius awoke from his sleep when he felt his Chain being called out, the seal on its power being released.

He sat up in his bed in time to see his Chain disappear within a twister of black and violet.

He quickly changed and donned his maroon cloak before setting out to follow the link he had to his Chain.

'_No one but I has the power to summon Griffyn,'_ the Duke Vessalius thought, leaping form building to building, _'So, then, who has called him?'_

Little, did he know, however, that he was about to find himself at a crossroads soon enough.

* * *

-Three Hours Later-

It had been three hours since the group had begun fighting and it still hadn't stopped.

"Just how many will keep coming?" Oz panted. "We destroy them and all they do is keep coming back or more come in their place!"

"Damn!" Gilbert cursed at everyone huddled into each other, their backs against one another, creating a small circle, their Chains around them in a larger circle.

"I expect that Chains attack and do anything to get rid of the Will of the Abyss' grief," Oz panted, "But this is just ridiculous! They just keep coming back no matter what we do!"

"Then I believe that it is time for us to fall back and bring out Mad Hatter's powers," Break said, sheathing his blade.

Oz nodded. He re-sealed both his Chains' powers just as Sharon had recalled Eques. He turned to Griffyn and said, "Thank you for aiding us in our battle."

The Chain only nodded before leaving in the same fashion he'd arrived.

Oz pointed his palm at Alice, who held a feline Cheshire in her arms, and place a barrier around them.

* * *

Zai watched from the shadows as his Chain helped his son and his companions fight against the onslaught of Chains.

'_Where are all of these Chains coming from?' _he thought, watching the never-ending approach of Chains.

He looked again at his son and remembered the conversation he and Griffyn had just a while back.

'_He's grown to be strong,'_ he thought, _'And not just physically, but both in intelligence and power-wise as well.'_

He watched as Oz slash though another couple Trumps.

'_If I'd known that my loyalty to the Baskervilles would cost me my wife and the only chance at a family, I'd never have joined,'_ Zai sighed, _'I can't say thta I don't blame myself, for I do. If I never lost that battle with Zwei, I wouldn't be in this position. It was because of that, that I condemned my own son to the Abyss.'_

'_Son. Oz. And there is also my daughter, whom I'd never even lain eyes until that day at the Academy,' _Zai watched as Oz blasted another three Chains back from whence they came, _'She's never even known me…all because I allowed myself to be distanced form them…'_

Mulling over everything in his thoughts, he came to a decision.

One that just may cost him his life.

* * *

"Break," Oz nodded at the white-haired man, who gave a nod back.

"It's time for you to release you true power, my Mad Hatter," Break said as his Chain's large eyes opened and let loose a blinding light.

At the same time, Oz had slammed his right fist down to the ground, creating a large crater in the process mind you, and began pouring his powers through his fist, causing pulses of power to spread from him to all over Reveille.

Gilbert and Sharon quickly shielded their eyes from the brightness of both attacks combined, before opening them once more when the lights had dimmed.

"The power to destroy anything of the Abyss," Sharon muttered quietly, "A truly cruel and thankful power to have."

Gilbert silently agreed.

Just then, out of nowhere, it began _snowing_, of all things.

"It's not over yet, Jack-nii," Alice said seriously.

Jack only nodded as he told everyone to find shelter.

"What's going on?" Gilbert asked as everyone entered the abandoned building.

"I don't know," Oz sighed, "But I have a feeling we'll find out in a while."

A few minutes later everyone sat by the fire that Gilbert and Jack had started in the fireplace.

"It's such a dismal sight, isn't it?" Alice asked rhetorically, looking out the window at the dark sky and the snow covering the empty town. "It almost feels like the Abyss."

Everyone, but Oz and Cheshire, turned their heads to look at Alice in both shock and curiosity.

"How so, Alice-san?" Sharon asked from her place near the hearth.

Alice came and sat down next to Oz, bringing a feline Cheshire into her lap. "In the darkness where solitude and despair hold sway, I was always alone. Day after day, with nothing to do other than to pick fights with meaningless Chains and wait for something I didn't even know of; my mind and body often grew cold as ice," Alice let Cheshire shift to his humanoid form before letting her lean against him, with his Arm around her, "But that was before Oz-nii showed up and took me away from that place," she looked up at everyone seriously, "The Abyss is a place of endless torment, even crueler than death itself."

"There is a reason for the unbalance," came a voice.

Upon hearing the somewhat familiar, and yet not, voice, everyone stood in different stances, waiting for whomever it was to show themselves.

"Show yourself," Oz commanded calmly, as he'd recognized the voice, but was still wary of its owner.

Zai Vessalius stepped out of the shadows, clothed in his Baskerville robes, though his hood was down, allowing everyone to see him for who he was.

"What is it you want?" Oz said in a monotone voice, face blank of emotion.

"To stop the Will of the Abyss, you must use the power within you," was all the Duke Vessalius said before disappearing in a flurry of black feathers and violet light.

Everyone stared at the spot where the Duke had stood in just moments before.

Jack blinked. "Did he just help us?"

"I think he might have," Gilbert just answered in disbelief.

* * *

Zai Vessalius stood outside the building, watching his son and his comrades.

'_What I did was completely against my orders as well as my own boundaries,'_ he thought to himself, walking off to find shelter for the time being.

'_**But you at least have finally made contact with the son you'd never bothered to get to know out of ignorance,'**_ Griffyn replied.

'_**I have done no such thing,' **_Zai denied, _**'All I have done is prevent the boy from not doing something he will regret.'**_

'_**Then why would you have done that if not for an attempt at redemption?'**_ the Chain countered.

Zai had no answer.

* * *

"Well now we know how to stop her," Break commented.

"But the true question is: What has upset her so much that she lashes out the way she has done?" Oz asked rhetorically.

Before anyone could answer, the ground began shaking with harsh tremors.

The group ran outside only to see that many of the buildings were falling over from the force of the quakes.

Just then, a pillar of lavender light shot up from the ground and into the sky, parting the clouds, but only briefly.

"Something's there," Alice muttered loud enough for all to hear before running in the direction of the light.

"That Baka-Usagi," Gilbert mumbled as he ran after his master and the Chain. "Oz!"

"I believe we should be getting along as well," Breal said weakly, still drained from using Mad Hatter's power.

"No, Break," Sharon said, "You can't do anything in the condition you're in. All we can do is watch and hope for the best.

When Oz, Alice and Cheshire, who was in her arms, arrived at the pillar, it shattered in sparks as a large dragon was revealed.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The Dragon was possibly about six times as large as Mad Hatter at the very least with navy-blue body, sharp claws and teeth, a pair of giant wings in the same color it was, and red eyes that looked as though they say nothing.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Oh Goddess," Oz breathed in awe and slight disbelief as the knowledge of the Chain automatically came to him. "Draconis…"

"What?" Gilbert said as Alice and Cheshire looked at Oz with questioning glances.

"This Chain isn't one that is very well known," the gold-haired man explained, gaining strange looks from those around him, "In fact, _I_ hadn't any clue until I was provided with the knowledge." Oz looked back at Draconis. "This Chain, although a very good _copy_ of the Chain, Jabberwock, it isn't exact. It has different capabilities and unlike Jabberwock, who'd been around for longer than Alice had been as a Chain, this Chain was created only moments ago at the most."

"And what does that mean exactly?" Gilbert asked.

"It means that this Chain is source of the Will of the Abyss' grief," Oz stated, "and the only way to stop it would be to destroy it."

"Destr—damnit!" Gilbert cursed. "I don't have any bullets left after that mass of Chains we destroyed before this one!"

"It's alright, just go back to Sharon and Break," Oz told his valet, "I have a feeling that things will be getting quite destructive if you remain."

Gilbert hesitated before nodding and leaving to find the white-haired man and his Lady.

Oz turned back to the Chain that had begun blasting beams of lavender light from its mouth into any and all directions.

He released the seal on his Chains' powers and unsheathed his sword as they began to try and fight Draconis.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

_**'****Fight alongside him and protect him,'**_ Zai commanded as he watched his son and the Chains try to put even a scratch on the Chain.

Although surprised at his Contractor's command, Griffyn just gave a sound of consent and appeared only to leave once more.

'_Hopefully they don't do anything stupid,' _Zai thought as he continued watching the fight.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Oz slashed at another horde of Trumps that came his way after Draconis summoned them.

He was so concentrated on getting rid of the lower-leveled Chains to get to the large dragon; he never noticed the large clawed paw coming his way.

That would be why he was so surprised when Griffyn appeared and quickly pulled Oz onto his back before flying high into the sky, narrowly missing the sharp claws.

'_Griffyn?'_ the twenty-five-year-old thought before deciding not to think about the new addition to their team as he focused his thoughts back to the situation a hand.

'_There must be a way to stop her,'_ Oz thought as he saw Alice slash at the dragon, _'But h—' _He was cut off when he heard a voice, similar to his, and yet not his at all.

"_I'm sorry, Alice,"_ the voice said.

'_What was _that_?' _Alice thought before slashing at Draconis once more, only to hear the same voice again.

"_This will be the last time I can play with you,"_ the voice stated.

"What's going on?" Oz muttered under his breath. "Could this Chain contain the final shard of Alice's memories?"

'_**There is only one way to find out, Oz,' **_Jack said, _**'You need to stop the Alice we've never known, and yet have. I have a feeling that only **_**you**_** can stop her and the Chain.'**_

'_If I can stop it and her,' _Oz thought frantically, _'How do I do _that_?'_

He was so wrapped up in his thought that he never noticed the large glowing claws headed straight for Alice. It wasn't until Cheshire shouted out Alice's name, that he realized she was in danger.

"Alice!" Oz shouted. "STOP!"

And just then, as though some unknown God or Deity had heard him, Draconis froze. The Chain reared back its head and shot up a beam of violet light from its mouth into the sky, parting the clouds obscuring it before freezing in place and turning to stone.

And it was then that everyone in the area was able to witness the memory, the final piece.

* * *

_The all watched as Alice and Jack Vessalius sat in a rowboat as he rowed them across and around the lake._

_Alice was dressed in a simple Victorian-style lavender dress with a matching ribbon tying her hair back and a stuffed rabbit in her arms._

_Jack was dressed in the same clothing as Oz was, though his coat was a deep turquoise._

"_This will be last time I can play with you, Alice," Jack stated sadly as he watched the younger girl with sorrowful, yet serious emerald orbs._

"_Why?" Alice whispered, silent tears cascading down her cheeks. "Why do you have to go? I don't want you to! I'll be lonely again!" And with that, she threw herself into the gold-haired male's arms._

* * *

Oz heard a rustle of clothing; he looked up only to see a girl that could pass as a perfect clone of Alice, but only completely white.

"You're voice reached her," Alice said as she came to stand next to her Contractor, "She heard you and you unlocked the last piece of my memory."

The White-Alice looked at the two in the rowboat before looking up at Oz. Her gaze paused upon him for a few moments before turning around and leaving.

* * *

"Was that…?" Sharon asked, wide-eyed not wanting to believe that she saw all that just happen.

"The Will of the Abyss…" Break said, his only red eye wide. _'It seems that she was just a lonely girl after all…'_

Gilbert just stood there, mouth agape.

Oz looked down at Alice, face unreadable. "How do feel now that you have your memories?" he asked. "Do you feel the way you thought you would at the beginning of our journey?"

Alice looked down before looking up at him. "No. I thought I would feel complete, but I still feel like something's missing."

"That would be because, despite having all your memories," OZ explained to his Chain, "there are still gaps in the shards you've received; gaps that you as well as someone else had blacked for unknown reasons; reasons that not even _I_ know of."

* * *

**Links**

**Draconis: **_www . draconika types/images/bronze-dragon . jpg_This is how I thought Draconis should look, up picture this dragon in the colors I have listed.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	19. Retrace 18: A New Plan

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Okay, due to a REALLY huge mistake on my part, I've had to rewrite this chapter from scratch, since I didn't have the backup copy of the chapter on my computer. I'm afraid that this won't be as long as it originally was.

I can only hope I did this right...CURSE ME FOR NOT PAYING ATTENTION!

Please Read and Review!

* * *

**oO~A New Plan~Oo**

-Rainsworth Manor-

The small group of six sat in the sitting room, their faces pensive.

"What shall do next, then?" Sharon asked, breaking the silence.

"There isn't much we _can_ do," Oz replied. "Without knowing what the Baskervilles will do next, we've landed ourselves at a stand-still in regards to our plans and goals."

Silence once again settled among the group.

Suddenly the doors burst open and Oscar Vessalius sauntered into the room.

"How's everybody today?" Oscar greeted cheerfully.

"Uncle Oscar?" Oz exclaimed, standing up. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I heard about that Chain incident at Reveille," the older man replied. "I came to see how you all were doing after that little escapade. Especially since, you Break used Mad Hatter."

Oscar turned to his nephew and smiled softly. "But most importantly, I came to bring you home."

"H-Home?" Oz stuttered out.

"It's been ten years since you've set foot in your own home, Oz," his uncle told him gently. "Don't you think it's time you went back?"

"Isn't—" Oz began.

"Zai hasn't set foot within the Vessalius Manor for more than ten years now," Oscar cut in. "I don't think he'll turn up there anytime soon."

_'Home,'_ Oz thought, waling over and looking out of the window, _'It's been so long since I've been there. But do I even have the right?'_

**_'Oz,'_** came Jack's voice. _**'It's your home and you have the right to be there, no matter how you were treated. You had Mrs. Kate to take care you, right? You had Oscar and Ada, even Gil. That is the home you were born in and you have as much of a right as Zai to be in that house. Go. Go home.'**__  
_

_**'You know,'** _Oz commented after a small bout of silence, _**'That is probably one of the few poetic and helpful things you said to me since I met you.'**_

_**'Why th—Hey!'** _Jack huffed.

_**'You walked right into that one,'** _Oz chuckled.

He turned back to his uncle and nodded. "I'll go back. I'll go back home."

* * *

-Vessalius Manor-

The Vessalius Manor wasn't too different from the set up of Rainsworth manor. The only visible differences were the colour scheme and the way everything around the manor was set up.

The bricks were a light burgundy with the roof and shutters being a forest-green hue. Accents of white and blue covered the large building and the dark-chestnut wood doors gave the manor a mystifying appearance. Lily and hyacinths surrounded the walkway and large, flourishing oak and pine trees scattered completed the scenery.

**_Pandora~Hearts_  
**

Oz gained a nostalgic look in his eyes as they roamed over the place he'd called 'home' for fifteen years. _'I'm here. I'm really home and it's not a dream.'_ He started to remember the times he'd dreamt of his home while trapped in the Abyss. But while he'd gotten over his homesickness, for the most part, There were still times he'd wished he could see his family and friends.

Taking a deep breath, Oz stepped out of the carriage, the rest of the group following behind him with Cheshire in his feline form. Hesitantly, Oz took hold of the door knocker and clacked it three times.

When the chestnut doors opened, Oz was surprised the see that it was Mrs. Kate., who seemed to have hardly changed in the ten years he'd been gone.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Mrs. Kate?" the gold-haired male smiled gently, if not a little frightened at her reaction to him.

The dark-haired woman gasped, her hands went to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. "Young Master Oz?"

"It's been a while since I've been called that," Oz grinned at the older woman.

With a sob, Mrs. Kate hurled herself at Oz, trapping him in a tight embrace. "Oh you've grown so much and so handsomely!" She blubbered.

Panicking, Oz quickly shushed the woman that had taken care of him since he could begin to remember.

"Oh where are my manners?" the dark-haired woman regained her composure. "Please, come in. Diner will be ready for you and your companions in a few moments, Young Master." She ushered them all inside and seated them in the dining hall.

"Will we have meat?" Alice spoke up, stars in her eyes at the thought of her favorite type of food.

Mrs. Kate only blinked at the young girl who held a black cat in her arms as the rest of Oz's companions laughed.

"Mrs. Kate," Oz chuckled, making the maid look up at him. "Could you prepare a few meat dishes for tonights meal in addition to everything else you have planned?"

"Of course, Young Master," Mrs. Kate bowed and left the room.

* * *

After dinner, the group found themselves in the sitting room of the Vessalius Manor, Alice and Cheshire falling asleep long before.

"I have a plan," Oz spoke, "But I need you all to hear me out before saying anything."

Sharon, Break and Gilbert looked at each other before giving a nod each in consent.

The gold-haired male sighed in relief. "I have already told you that we need to know the Baskerville's next moves in order to follow through with our plans, correct?"

The trio nodded once again.

"The only way to do that would be to gain a spy within the Baskerville household," Oz continued.

"Who did you have in mind?" Sharon asked.

"Zai Vessalius," Oz answered.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	20. Retrace 19: An Alliance

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Sorry for not updating in a very long time, but so much has been going on, and I've been really tired form lack of sleep sometimes, that I never really have the time to write or update!

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~An Alliance~Oo**

"WHAT?" Gilbert shouted at his master as everyone else looked on at the gold-haired male in shock.

"Are you crazy?" Gilbert shouted hysterically, shaking his best friend by the shoulders. "You haven't forgotten just how he'd treated you, have you? You haven't forgotten that you _HATED_ him?"

"Gilbert-sama," Break said, breaking into Gilbert's rant, "If you want your Master to live, you might want to let him go."

Gilbert looked down at said man only to see dizzy-swirls in Oz's eyes and sweat-dropped before letting him go.

"Sorry about that," Gilbert said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head before resuming his original seat.

"N-No problem," Oz said, slightly dizzy and dazed still.

"Now, so as not to have a repeat of what just happened," Break looked pointedly at Gilbert, who gave a sheepish grin, "Why don't you tell us why you suddenly trust your father after all this time."

When Oz's head stopped spinning, he began explaining why he suggested what he did.

"Do you remember how Griffyn came to give me information at the chapel?" Oz asked.

Nods form everyone in the room were received.

"It seems that Griffyn had offered me his services no matter what his Contractor had commanded of him," Oz said, "But at Reveille, it seems that Griffyn had arrived at my father's orders."

"How do you know that?" Gilbert asked quietly, after a moment's silence.

"Griffyn came to me and told me many things," Jack answered, "Some of which that actually answered a few questions connecting to a few puzzles I had. He told me that my father had ordered him to help and protect me at all costs as well as the fact that his loyalty to the Baskervilles is wavering."

There was silence.

"What do you think you should do then?" Sharon finally asked. "You have avoided your father, and yet now you need him. Will he be loyal and help our cause? Or will he deceive us in the end?"

"You have good points, Sharon-san," Jack said, "But I know no one else that can pose as a spy for us. And I have already cast a bit of a 'limiter' on him, you might say."

"Limiter?" Gilbert asked.

"A suppressor of sorts," the gold-haired man explained, "He cannot reveal any information we tell him or he hears from us unless he has been given _my_ permission."

"Can you call him over and see if he'll sincerely, really do it?" Alice asked, speaking up for the first time in quite a while.

Everyone turned to look at the chocolate-haired female.

"That might work," Jack answered, "But we all will need to be on our guard."

Everyone agreed to let Zai come, but under no circumstances would they trust him.

Jack closed his eyes in concentration as the feather braided into the small section of his hair began glowing violet.

'_**Griffyn?' **_Oz asked, making sure it really was Griffyn.

'_**Young Master,' **_the Chain acknowledged.

'_**Will you bring Zai to us?' **_the twenty-five-year-old asked. _**'We believe that he may be of use to us.'**_

'…_**As you wish, Young Master,' **_the Chain said after a moment's hesitation.

It was only moments later that a black vortex opened up and Zai Vessalius spilled out of it and into a heap on the floor.

**_Pandora~Hearts_**

Zai stood up (still in Baskerville uniform; maroon cloak and all, but the hood is down) and looked around the room, when his eyes finally rested upon his son and his comrades.

"If you will sit, the reason for your being here will be explained," Oz said in a monotone voice.

Zai said nothing and sat down upon the couch across from his son, face impassive.

"I believe you were going to explain the reason why I was unceremoniously taken by my own Chain and brought here," Zai said after no one spoke.

Oz turned his eyes to Break, signaling him to speak.

"Duke Vessalius," the white-haired man began, "You were brought here because of your allegiance to the Baskerville."

"If you know," Zai said, "Then what was your purpose of bringing me here?"

"Our purpose," Gilbert continued, "was to know just how sincere you were about helping Oz."

Zai froze; that was one question he'd never expected to hear.

'_Just what can I say?' _the elder Vessalius thought. _'It isn't as though I can go around saying that I feel _sorry_ after all these years for what I'd done to…my…s-son…'_

'_**Tell them the truth,'**_ came Griffyn's voice, _**'They already know of your dwindling loyalty to the Baskerville. There is no need to hide any longer.'**_

'_**What? But—' **_Zai said, almost frantically.

'_**No 'buts','**_ the Chain said sternly, _**'They know everything, but to confirm it, they must hear it from your own mouth.'**_

"I am truly and completely sincere about helping…my son," Zai answered.

"How can we trust that?" Oz deadpanned.

Zai's eyes became hooded over. "I may not have acted like the father anyone would expect me to have been. But it wasn't by choice; at least most of it wasn't."

Oz looked at the man he knew to be his father and knew immediately that what he was stating wasn't a lie.

"Then you're going for an attempt at redemption in Oz-nii's eyes, then?" Alice asked seriously, face emotionless.

Zai looked at the girl in surprise, but answered nonetheless. "Yes, I hope to gain forgiveness from both my children as well as my entire family for the crimes and things I've done in the past. But even I know that forgiveness isn't an easy thing to earn. But I _will_ do whatever it takes to gain just that!"

Oz looked on at his father, not believing the words spilling out from the older man's lips.

"Then instead of dallying, I shall get straight to the point," Oz said in his cold, monotone voice, "We need a spy; someone to pass us information from and about the Baskervilles, so that we may prevent the massacre that occurred a hundred years before from happening once more."

Zai's eyes widened at the offer.

'_What can I do?' _he thought. _'If I accept, then I will be one step closer to earning my forgiveness. But on the other hand, I will also be at risk for being killed by the other Baskervilles for betrayal to the House I'd sworn to.'_

After a few more minutes of pondering the offer, Zai finally gave his answer. He looked his son straight in the eyes and said, "I'll do it."

Oz gave a curt nod. "But now, I need to know something," the gold-haired man said, looking at the Duke Vessalius.

"What is it?" Zai asked cautiously.

"What happened the night you abandoned us and left mother to die?" Oz asked.

Everyone including Zai looked at the male in shock. Gilbert and the others because this wasn't part of the plan. And Zai because he hoped his son wouldn't ask _that_specific question.

'_**Tell him,'**_ were the only two words that echoed throughout the elder Duke's head.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	21. Retrace 20: An Explanation

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Gomenasai for not updating in so long! But my bloody laptop charger decided to take a permanent vacation on CHRISTMAS NIGHT! And it was only the day before yesterday that I'd gotten a new one thanks to my daddy.

Enjoy the chapter!

…sorry if it may seem a bit short, though…

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~An Explanation~Oo**

"Very well," Zai sighed, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, hands folded and his forehead leaning on them, eyes closed.

"When I first joined the Baskerville," Zai began, "It happened just a few months after Contracting with Griffyn, I was young and as many know, most young people can be quite greedy when it came to power. But even _I_ knew that one day the Baskervilles would test my loyalty to them, and unfortunately it happened a few months after I'd gotten word that Rachel had given birth to Ada; you would have been about ten or eleven at the time…"

* * *

-Flashback-

_Zai walked up to the Baskerville Manor, in full Baskerville regalia, maroon cloak (hood up) and all. He knocked the door thrice and one of the lesser members of the House (dressed in a lighter maroon) opened the door._

"_Come," the figure said, "the higher Masters and Mistresses and waiting."_

_Zai only nodded as he was led into a large room, reminiscent of a ballroom, though not quite._

_The light-maroon figure bowed once to Zai before backing out of the room._

_The Duke Vessalius turned to look at the three cloaked figures standing before a large door._

"_What have I been called for," Zai demanded quietly._

"_You know as well as we do that it is time to test your loyalty to the Baskerville House," Lottie said, smiling maliciously._

_Although inwardly surprised, Zai made sure not to let it show on his face._

"_What will be my challenge?" Zai asked in a monotone voice._

"_You will only know after battling Zwei," another male, whose name was Darren._

_Said person stepped forward, a twisted grin on her face from underneath her hood._

"_Are you up to it then, old boy?" Zwei giggled._

_Zai only silently summoned Griffyn as his answer._

(I'm not going to bother describing the battle, as I feel too lazy and tired. Picture the battle in your own heads. But the battle is supposed to go with Griffyn gaining the upper hand the first half before Doldam used a powerful move towards the end and won the battle.)

_-Time Skip; After Battle-_

"_My challenge, then?" Zai demanded, not fazed by his loss of the battle._

"_You must go and fulfill a task sent directly from Master Glen," Lottie stated, handing Zai an envelope with the a wax seal of the Baskerville House keeping it from opening._

"_Master Glen?" Zai asked. "How?"_

"_How would we know?" Darren questioned. "All we know is that he has a messenger sending his orders."_

"_Now while you are off doing what you are told," Lottie continued, "The Nightrays shall be paying a _visit_ to the Vessalius grounds. Zwei will use Doldam and place you under an enchantment. While you will still have control of your body and thoughts, if your turn from your task to try and help your _family_, to put it simply: you will die; a sure sign of your betrayal."_

'_I'm sure the guards will take care of Rachel and the _children_; I don't quite fancy losing my life, ater all,'_ _Zai thought._

_A faint sound of displeasure was heard within his mind, but dismissed it as nothing and continued on his way to complete the task he was given._

-End Flashback-

* * *

"So I had thought that Rachel and all of you would be safe with the guards," Zai stated, "But it seems that I was wrong."

"You were indeed wrong," Oz stated emotionlessly, "You may not have heard as you were rarely home, but a majority of the guards had been lost in a previous battle with the Nightrays. When the attack you are speaking of came, we only had enough to ward them off for a while before they were overpowered. Mother thrust Ada into my arms and hid the both of us with the servants in the hidden chamber before taking up a sword to go into battle.

"When the battle was over, I ran out with Ada to see bodies, separated limbs, and much blood spilt everywhere. There were many killed and an equal number wounded. Mother was on the floor of one of the corridors amongst a few dead Nightrays she must have slain. She was still breathing but not for long, as her last words were,_'Take care of the family, my darling boy.' _She died with a gentle smile on her face as she was speaking the words _'I love you'_ to me. Uncle Oscar, then came and helped with the clean up and funeral arrangements and of course then you came home two years later after finding Gil but leaving soon after you found out what had happened."

"…She died happily?" Zai whispered.

"I believe she did," Oz said quietly, "She was happy Ada and I were safe and died with a smile. And despite the blood spattered all over her, she did look happy."

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	22. Retrace 21: The Key to the End

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Enjoy the chapter!

…sorry if it may seem a bit short, though…

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~The Key to the End~Oo**

It had been nearly a year since Zai had confessed to what had occurred during the time of his wife's death and agreed to be Oz's and his friends' spy within the Baskerville House. Since then, Zai had passed on numerous amounts of information, no matter how insignificant the smallest details were.

But it was the current of piece information that he'd sent that would be his unfortunate last.

* * *

-Rainsworth Manor-

Oz and Gilbert sat in separated armchairs as Break and Sharon sat at their usual tea table laden with tea and sweets. Alice and Cheshire, in his usual form (the human-like one), sat on a couch with the brown-haired girl leaning on the other Chain's shoulder.

The group was just relaxing, as they'd destroyed a powerful Chain the night before.

Unfortunately the peace was not to last. A letter appeared in a twister of black feathers and violet light.

Grabbing the letter he knew to be from his father, Oz tore open the envelope, hoping to find his father well and information that would be helpful in their mission.

Ever since the last piece of Alice's memory had been found and restored to her, the group had sought to find Glen Baskerville himself and seal him away for good. Unfortunately, they hadn't really gotten many good leads, though Zai's help was definitely something they were all thankful for.

Oz read through the letter, his eyes widening as he read on, but turned grim at the last moment.

"What does it say?" Gilbert asked after a moment of silence.

The gold-haired man said nothing as he handed the letter to his best friend.

Gilbert read the letter out loud for everyone to hear.

**_Pandora~Hearts_**

_Oz,_

_I hope you and friends are well as well as Ada. I understand that my previous letters have little to no help at all. But we've found him; Griffyn and I've finally found him._

_He was right under our very noses the entire time._

_Go to the ruins where the demolished town of Sabrièl still stands. There you will see the chapel where Glen Baskerville took his last stand against Jack Vessalius before being defeated, or sealed whichever you prefer, by the Hero of the Tragedy himself. Go to where the organ resides and play the tune Glen had created. If my suspicions are correct, somehow a portal or something like that will open. Go through it and you should be able to find the man you've been searching for. But to get back, you need to sing the song you played._

_Be careful when you meet him, Oz. He certainly isn't someone to be taken lightly. Once you go through the portal, from what I know, you will be in what I have christened as 'His dimension'. He can do almost anything he so wishes while in that world._

_Now that I have delivered this piece of information, I have other news to share. This may very well be my last letter to you. _

_I have been discovered._

_No one in the Baskerville House knows for certain that it is I who is delivering information to you, but they have suspicions and are sending around others to spy on me. If I am discovered, there is no doubt I will be eliminated as a result._

_If that is the case, then I name you as the new Duke Vessalius with Oscar as a proxy in case you aren't ready to take up the title and responsibilities. Go into my room at the main Vessalius Manor, I know it hasn't been touched since the last time I was there. But go in there and search through it thoroughly; I've had Griffyn leave a letter for you giving instructions on what do to with my things. Tell Ada I love her and that I always will. But most importantly tell her that I'm sorry for never being around. And know that I am proud of you…my son._

_Zai Vessalius_

_Duke of the House of Vessalius_

_**Pandora~Hearts**  
_

"So he's been in the one place no one had thought to look," Break said solemnly.

"Glen has always been a master of disguise," Jack said, "even if he'd hidden in plain sight, you wouldn't have found him. The only way to have been to do so was if you'd known all his tricks as I do."

"Do we go after him, then?" Alice asked quietly.

"We do," Jack answered, "Once Glen is gone, the Baskerville House will be no more. The only reason they have managed to survive this long is because Glen never truly died when _I_ had 'killed' him. As he had no heir, he managed to live quite a long time with the help of the Chain of his House he'd Contracted with."

"What will happen to those that are part of the House once he's gone?" Sharon asked curiously.

"When Glen is gone, technically, the Baskerville House itself will be no more," Oz explained, "Those that had _joined_ will be released. And those that had originally been a part of the House will still be a Baskerville and continue to live for possibly eternity, if they keep the Contract with their Chain intact.

"Without a master to give them orders, they will know not of what they can do. They will need to figure all that out themselves as they finally begin to _live_."

"What about Zai?" Gilbert asked quietly.

"We pray," Jack sighed, "we pray that we can get rid of Glen before anything happens to him."

Break looked around and everyone and said in a still solemn voice, though laced with cheerfulness, "Shall we get going, then?"

* * *

-Elsewhere-

Zai looked out of the window of the abandoned manor he'd been residing in for the past few days since he sent his last letter to his son.

He knew that someone within the Baskervilles knew that either he or someone else was sending information to Pandora. He knew he had to get away before anyone was onto him. So he gave the excuse of needing to take care of a few matters before leaving in the dead of night.

'_It won't be long before they discover the truth,'_ Zai thought, _'At the very least, I managed to patch up my broken relations with my family before anything happened.'_

* * *

-Oz & Co.-

The carriage bumped and rattled as the group traveled to Sabrièl in silence.

"What do we do when we finally come face-to-face with him?" Alice asked.

"We will fight if that's what is needed," Oz answered, "But none of you will interfere if it is something Glen feels that we must settle on our own."

And before long, the carriage stopped.

They had arrived at Sabrièl.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	23. Retrace 22: A Step to the End

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: AAAHHH! I'm almost finished! WAAAAAH! I'M DEPRESSED! I DON'T WANT IT TO END! But…-sigh- like all good stories, they need to end sometime.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~A Step to the End~Oo**

Oz, Break, Gilbert, Alice and a humanoid Cheshire stepped out of the carriage and looked around at the ghost town before them.

(AN: Oz is wearing the same thing he wore in **Retrace 2: Escape **and everyone is wearing what they normally would.)

Buildings just about demolished, though some were still strong enough to stand tall. Not a single soul inhabited the town. Not a sound but the eerie whistling of the wind could be heard.

"So he decided to reside in the very place he had 'died'," Oz muttered.

"But why here of all places-nya?" Cheshire asked. The very same question that had been on everyone's mind ever since Oz had read that final letter from his father.

"I don't know myself," Oz admitted, "But I believe it _could_ be that since everyone knew that Glen Baskerville had perished here at Sabrièl, we'd never thought he would reside in the very place where he 'died'."

"Clever," Break commented.

"Gilbert," Oz said, gaining said person's attention.

"What?" the black-haired man replied.

"When we meet Glen," Oz said quietly, "do NOT use Raven unless you absolutely need to. Save him as a last resort if you cannot fight any longer."

"Why?" Gilbert asked, wanting to know why he couldn't use his Chain's power to fight the very person that started all of this 'obtaining the Will of the Abyss' nonsense.

"Raven was originally, Glen's Chain back in the day," Oz answered, ignoring the shocked looks he was receiving, "He somehow also managed to form some kind of a bond with the other House Chains from each Duke House. And, from what Jack and I managed to learn while I was trapped within the Abyss, he wanted to possess you through Raven in order to take charge of his house physically, but was too weak to do so."

Raven looked shocked that he could have been possessed by the very man they were trying to destroy, or seal him away permanently at the very least.

"Shall we head over to the Church, then?" Oz suggested before starting off in the direction of the large bell-tower belonging to the church in the distance.

* * *

-Sabrièl Church-

The Church looked slightly demolished, though it was just about the only thing in town that look almost untouched.

What with its tall bell-tower and the bell still there. The inside was furnished with deep-cheery-wood pews, a large organ stood at the very front of the church and a light green carpet covered the aisle and the front of the church.

Besides the windows broken and a few of the pews slightly damaged, the only other thing were the two large bloodstains standing out against the green of the carpet; each stain about five feet from the other.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"So this is where it all took place," Break muttered under his breath, as his only red eye glanced around the building, though lingering mostly on the bloodstains.

Gilbert's haunted eyes, however locked straight onto the bloodstain closest to the organ. "That's where he died isn't it? That's where Jack died." He pointed to the stain he was looking at.

Alice's and Cheshire's heads snapped to where their black-haired comrade was pointing, before they looked at Oz, wanting to know if it was true.

Break, on the other hand, looked on in interest, but there was no denying the curiosity that shone in his red eye.

Contemplating on how he would tell them without frightening them too much, he sighed and just decided to get it over with.

"Yes," Oz answered finally, "That was where Jack himself had died after stabbing his once best friend, Glen Baskerville, through the heart." He glanced down at the sword strapped to his side.

"But how did he die if…" Gilbert trailed off.

"Jack was already covered in wounds from when he and Glen clashed swords," Oz replied, "And although the pain was finally catching up to him, the one person he never expected to harm him, killed him."

"Who?" Alice's voice trembled as she heard about the loss of her once dear friend.

"Vincent Daggersmith," Oz stated, "now known as Vincent Nightray."

"Vincent?" Gilbert choked out. He knew what his brother was capable of and that his brother certainly wasn't right in the head, but this…this was going too far.

"Gilbert," Oz, turned to his best friend, "I know you don't want to remember anything, and nor _do_ you remember much. But you died to protecting Jack from Glen and once you were dead, Vincent seemed to…lose it; I suppose you could say that he lost that last shred of sanity he had as having you with him was what kept him happy and _sane_. After killing Jack with Glen's fallen sword, he went after the person that he believed to be the reason for all this bloodshed; Alice."

At this said girl looked at her Contractor curiously.

Seeing this, Oz began to explain. "There is a reason why Glen had kept you locked away. He didn't want anyone to know his secret. Somehow Vincent found out that you were somehow related to the Will of the Abyss. And from what I've learned, he knew some things about the Abyss itself and he must have remembered that the Abyss warps time and can help undo the past as well. And so, in hopes that he could change the past in some way, he killed you to get to the Abyss. But he had killed Cheshire only to torture you."

"What was Glen Baskerville's secret?" Break asked.

"Lacie," Oz replied.

"The song?" Alice asked.

"No," Oz turned to looked at them all, his back to the organ, "Lacie was Glen Baskerville's lover…and wife."

"He kept his wife a secret-nya?" Cheshire asked, confused.

"Not exactly," Oz answered, "Everyone knew that Glen and Lacie were together. But what no one but Glen himself knew, was that Lacie gave birth to a pair of twins."

"Twins?" Gilbert murmured.

"Twins," Oz confirmed, looking at Alice.

Said girl hadn't seem Oz glance at her, but Break had caught the look and an unreadable expression crossed his face.

Oz saw the expression, but said nothing of it, and instead turned to his comrades. "Are you all ready, then? Once we go, there is no turning back. Glen will be in _his_realm and he will be able to do just about whatever he so chooses in it. He will have no control of us, but he will of our surroundings. He won't be expecting us, so I suppose it will be _bit_ of a shock, but Glen is never surprised for too long and takes things in stride."

Everyone nodded determinedly.

The gold-haired male turned back to the old organ and sat down upon the [dusty] stool and positioned his hands and fingers.

The lovely melody echoed off of the walls and into the ears of those inside.

(AN: Note that the tune he is playing is the one Elliot Nightray had played in the Latowidge Academy episode.)

After playing just about the entire thing twice, a tremor shook the Church as what looked to be a literal rip in the air suddenly appeared.

"How fitting," Break muttered, "the very song he created will lead to his downfall..."

"And that," Oz said, "would be our cue. I ask once again, are you all sure?"

They all gave a nod once more before stepping into the tear and straight into the unknown dimension.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	24. Retrace 23: Different Places

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

_**'The' - Telepathic Speech**  
_

* * *

AN: Yeah, yeah, I know I a horrible person and blah blah blah. But what some people don't realize is that I have a lot more important things to take care of at this point and writing isn't always my top priority. Sure, I do my best to write when I can, but I don't know myself when my next new chapter for this piece will be up, so for now, I'm just going to rewrite this chapter as well as the ones after that.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Different Places~Oo**

The three humans and two Chains stepped out of the tear to find themselves in what looked to be the front courtyard of a large manor.

They looked around to see lush, green grass, rows and rows of red sword-lilies and deep-blue bachelors buttons ran along each side of the cobblestone path, a lovely stone fountain stood proudly in the center of the courtyard.

The quintet walked forward until they reached the large Victorian manor covered in maroon bricks and black pillars, shutters with a roof of the same color (black).

'_Why does this not surprise me?'_ Oz asked himself.

'_**Because it shouldn't,'**_ Jack solemnly replied, _**'I know Glen well enough to know that this is probably one of the only few places where he feels as though he's in control. And you should know him through me, after all, so why should it be a surprise?'**_

'_**True,'**_ Oz conceded, _**'but something seems suspicious. It seems a little too easy to get here without having to fight our way in.'**_

'_**I know,'**_ Jack nodded, _**'That's why we all need to be on our guard.'**_

'_**We?' **_Oz asked. _**'What do you mean by "We"? It's only the five of us, well technically seven including Raven and Mad Hatter, but before I left the Abyss with Alice, you and I merged together, so right now, you're just another presence inside me that's nothing but an annoying voice in my head!'**_

'_**I know b—hey! What do you mean by "annoying"?'**_ Jack shouted indignantly. _**'I am a perfectly helpful and handsome gentleman.'**_

'_**Of course you are **_–cough-_**lazyoldman**_-cough_**,'**_ Oz stifled a laugh.

'_**Why thank you,' **_Jack replied, _**'good to know you finally realized—wait a tick! What the hell did you say?'**_

Instead of answering, Oz just decided to ignore his incarnation before turning to his comrades.

"We need to be on our guard once we step in," the gold-haired man told them, "It shouldn't have been this easy to get here without any danger so we need to be extra careful when we go in. Glen may have already sensed us when we first arrived, but chose to lay a trap. So be on your guard and touch nothing."

The group nodded before pushing open the black doors and stepping into the manor, only to have to the door slam itself shut once they were all inside.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The floor was tiled in polished black marble, a deep-maroon rug ran through the centers of each hallway over the marble, the walls were a deep-maroon with a black vine and leaf pattern. Black Roman columns that were small in height held grey vases filed with crimson sword-lilies.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Ah la la," Break commented, "Depressing, don't you think?."

The rest of the group glared at Break, but had to agree that though the colouring could be altered, the design of the interior was indeed well done.

"Now, had I been Glen," Jack muttered under his breath, looking at the three different hallways that led to the front lobby in which they all stood, "Where would I be?"

But unfortunately, before he or anyone else could say another word, a black void opened up underneath them all, plunging them into darkness.

* * *

-Break-

"Ugh," the white-haired man groaned, "What happened?"

"We fell through a hole!" Emily squeaked from his shoulder.

"So we did," Break confirmed, "And just _where_ did we land is the real question..."

His only red eyes shifted around, taking in his surroundings.

**_Pandora~Hearts_**

He was standing at the beginning of a wide hall. The walls were painted a soft lavender with mirrors of all shapes and sizes hung from them. The floors were in a black and white checkerboard pattern while small balls of what looked like fire floated aimlessly around the room.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"I suppose there's no other choice but to walk, is there?" Break asked himself as he started down the hall.

* * *

-Gilbert-

"When I find who threw me down a hole, a bullet's going to be sent straight through their head!" Gilbert grumble to himself as he walked down the single stripe of white within the black he was in.

Just then, there was a bright flash of light and before he knew it, the black-haired male found himself being shoved forward.

His last thought was about how much he hated his life.

* * *

-Alice & Cheshire-

Alice and Cheshire let out a cry of pain as they landed on the ground. Hard.

"Who did that!" Alice shouted into the darkness.

"Alice," Cheshire said, tugging on her coat, before staring down at his hands, surprised to find himself in his human form.

"Come on out ya cowards!" the girl continued shouting into the darkness.

"Alice," Cheshire tried again, tugging harder.

"What're ya afraid o—WHAT!" Alice turned to Cheshire with a look of annoyance and outrage present on her face.

"I was just tryin' to tell you-nya," Cheshire said, exasperated, "We're in the Abyss."

"What?!" the brown-haired girl shouted in shock, finally taking the time to really look at her surroundings, noticing the odd bits of furniture and knick-knacks strewn around or floating around them.

"But how did we get here?" she asked, calming down after a few moments.

"I brought you here," a voice identical to Alice's but with a slight musical nuance said.

Both Chains turned in the voice's direction to find themselves face-to-face with the Will of the Abyss.

"Come, we have much to discuss," she stated, leading the two off in a random direction.

* * *

-Oz-

Oz fell through the air and tried to regain his balance, but to no avail as he landed on the ground in tangle of hair and limbs.

'_**Tell me again **_**why **_**I hadn't cut my hair after coming back?' **_Oz asked irritated.

'_**One: because you never bothered to cut while in the Abyss. Two: because you've gotten used to it. And three: YOU LOOOOVE IT!' **_Jack answered cheerfully.

'_**At least I'm not that conceited when it comes to my hair, unlike a certain someone,' **_Oz replied.

'_**Hey! I'm not vain, thank you very much! I'll have you know it's not easy maintaining hair as perfect and pretty as this!'**_ Jack harrumphed.

'"_**Not vain"? When I accidentally sliced a bit off during one of our training session, you went ballistic and tried to kill me!' **_Oz said in astonishment, before realizing something his incarnation had said. _**'Did you just call yourself pretty?'**_

Jack seemed to have realized this and stuck his tongue out at Oz before remaining silent.

"Where the hell am I?" Oz muttered to himself, looking around the landscape.

He looked around to see himself at Vessalius Manor.

"And exactly _why_ would I land in front of my own home?" Oz muttered to himself as he walked inside, not bothering to knock.

* * *

-Break-

"Ah la la," Break murmured, "This is troublesome."

As he'd walked down the hall, he found that it grew narrower and narrower until he got to the end finding himself standing in front of a large mirror made up the end of the hall.

There was a moan.

Break tensed.

A cry of terror sounded.

The white-haired man felt a tinge of pain in his chest and clutched the area where his completed illegal contractor's symbol began to throb in pain.

Shadows appeared in the mirrors around him.

Break's eye widened. He turned back to try and go back the way he came, only to find that not only had the hall grown narrower, it had also managed to fold around him from behind, locking him in a box with mirrored walls.

"You will pay!" One voice rasped.

"Why!" The voice of a child whimpered. "What did we ever do to you?"

"You will rot in hell for your sins!" another voice promised.

"No," Break tried backing away, only to find his back bumping into the large mirror. A dark chuckle sounded behind him.

The white-haired man stiffened; he knew that voice. And he should; it was his.

Turning around to face the mirror, he found someone he wasn't willing to face.

There stood an exact cop of Break back when he was called Kevin Regnard with what looked like the silhouette of his former Chain, Albus, behind him.

Just then, the room expanded and both Kevin and Albus stepped out of the mirror.

"Happy to see you, _Xerxes_," the shadow Kevin greeted mockingly. Albus raised his lance and kept his shield at the ready.

Knowing there was no way to avoid this, Break whipped out his cane from inside his sleeve and summoned Mad Hatter.

* * *

-Gilbert-

"Okay _now_ where did I land?" Gilbert grunted, trying to get up, only to find himself tied to a chair in the middle of a what looked like a little girl's room.

He glanced around at the usual things found in a young girl's room; stuffed animals, dolls, a closet full of gowns no doubt, a couple dead bod—DEAD BODIES?!

After calming down he looked closely at the broken and bleeding figures. One he made out to be a massacred Jack Vessalius. The other one he recognized, with bile rising in his throat, was a fifteen-year-old decapitated Oz.

He felt a drip on his head.

_'Rain? Here?'_

But it wasn't rain, upon closer inspection, he realized that it was raining _blood_.

* * *

-Alice & Cheshire-

Alice popped a few cookies into her mouth and watched the girl she knew now as her sister play with Cheshire.

When the Will of the Abyss had lead them to her home, Alice thought she and Cheshire were about to say their goodbyes. But was surpried when the girl introduced herself as Alice as well.

(AN: From here on out, the white Alice, or the Will of the Abyss, will be known as _Alice_, 'k?)

When she'd first revealed herself, Alice didn't believe the girl in front of her. She thought it must have been some kind of trick that Glen had used on her. It wasn't until she began retelling bits of her life, that Alice even began to believe her.

_-Flashback-_

_"But how?" _Alice_ asked. "How are you my sister? You live here and until I died, I lived in the human world!"_

_"I don't know," Alice admitted. "All I know is that when mother had us, something happened. A Chain rose from the Abyss, looking for someone to contract with. When the Chain was rampaging through our father's manor, somehow in the chaos, I was thrown into the Abyss through the rip the Chain appeared from."_

Alice_ gasped._

_"It wasn't on purpose," Alice reassured her sister. "Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to tell you what happened to me after I arrived in the Abyss. Everything I know is because a different chain found me and took me in."_

_"But how did you become the Will of the Abyss?" _Alice_ asked curiously._

_"It was because the Chain who found me passed the power and title onto me," Alice told her sister with a blank expression._

* * *

-Oz-

Oz walked through the halls of his home, looking for a way out and for the reason why he was sent to his home.

He stopped and listened.

Echoing faintly though the halls was a sweet voice singing.

_The robin's home is a nest o'erhead  
__The bees, they nest in a hive instead  
__My baby's nest is his little bed  
__Bye, baby, bye_

The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Oz and despite the protests he heard from Jack, the gold-haired man followed the voice down the halls.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	25. Retrace 24: Battle of Past and Present

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

'_**The' – Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

AN: Yeah, yeah, I haven't updated in God knows how long and you readers are probably, pardon my language, pissed as hell. I couldn't do anything about it. I had more than enough going on and writing just wasn't my top priority then. I have an idea of how I want the last couple chapters of this story to go, so I'll do my best to add those in all the while replacing others and finishing the entire thing up all together. Besides, I promised a few readers that I'd rewrite one of my old stories and get that up soon.

I realize that this will most likely sound weak, but just cut me some slack, why don't ya? I haven't written for this story for a long while now! Oh and if anyone's caught up with the manga, I know that a lot of what I wrote and will write isn't accurate, nor will it match up. I'd only recently caught up with the manga, and was seriously surprised at how things turned out. But in any case, it would do well to remember that this is a rewriting of the _anime_ with slight details form the manga added in.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~The Battle of Past and Present~Oo**

Kevin charged at Break, unsheathing his blade from underneath his cloak. His eyes were glowing red, pupils dilated, and a crazy smile upon his lips.

Break had dodged the attack and narrowed his eye at what was supposed to be him, or at least who he was in any case. _'Hm…something isn't right…'_ He separated his cane and charged at the duplicate of himself with his own blade.

While the two humans were fighting with one another, the Mad Hatter and Albus remained where they were summoned.

"Albus!" Kevin shouted, his eyes crossing slightly as he continued crossing blades with Break. The large Knight-Chain said nothing as he stayed in the same position and began glowing an eerie red colour. And soon enough, Kevin had been covered with the same faint, red glow as well.

His grin widened to the point where it looked practically feral. Unexpectedly, he lunged at his future self.

Break's eye widened as he took in the increased speed of the duplicate. He was so surprised that he almost didn't raise his sword in time to black the blow that would have been fatal had it hit.

Unfortunately, the surprises didn't just stop there. It seemed that while Kevin's speed had increased, his strength had as well. Break clenched his teeth as he broke out into sweat from trying to hold back the sword.

'_How is he this strong?'_ The white-haired male of the future wondered, succeeding in pushing the blade off. _'Duplicate or not, it's impossible for a mere human to have such strength!'_ It was then that his eye fell upon the glowing Knight-Chain.

Looking from the Chain to his duplicate, Break quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together and realized just how the clone had gotten to be so strong so quickly. Think fast, the white-haired man concentrated on the bond he had with his Chain.

In no time, both Chain and Contractor were glowing a faint violet-hue.

But just then, like before, the echoing voices came back, louder than before. Screams of terror resonated throughout the room.

"Listen _Xerxes_," Kevin cackled, "listen to the cries of the lives we took. Their wonderful screams of agony! The beautiful, _red blood_ leaking from their bodies as we took their lives!"

Break's grip tightened on the handle of his blade. "I may have done those things," he said in a low voice, "but I no longer follow that path. I fight to_ protect_. I've no need to kill anymore because I no longer have a wish."

Kevin shrieked as he once again, charged at Break, only to be pushing sword with him once again. "Liar!" the copy hissed. "You wish that you could go back and change things so that you'd stayed with the young mistress!"

"I admit that I _had_ wanted that," Break grit out, "but not anymore. Not when I have a new family to serve and a new mistress to look after!" With that, he swung out at Kevin, catching him in the shoulder.

A painful and burning sensation erupted from Break as he let out a small grunt of pain. He felt something dripping down his arm and lifted said appendage to take a look.

It was blood.

Break's eye fixed upon the tiny stream dripping down his hand and looked to where the blood must have started from, only to be shocked once more.

The blood was leaking out of a wound on his shoulder. The very shoulder he'd just struck on the duplicate.

"Surprised?" Kevin chuckled. "I'm not. After all, we _are_ the same person."

"Shut up!" Break hissed menacingly. "I'm not you and you definitely aren't me. I'm no longer a murderer! I am a protector! _I AM MYSELF!_"

His last line must have done something because the faint-red glow around Kevin and his Chain faded away.

"No," the duplicate whispered, looking at himself. "NO! This will not happen!" He let out an inhuman screech.

Black shadows began to emerge from the walls and from within the mirror Kevin himself had emerged from. "Your life is MINE!" the copy shouted, eyes glowing once more. And with that, the shadows shot towards Break and his Chain.

The white-haired man of the future stepped into the folds of is Chain's cape and uttered only one word as the fabric stretched to hide him. "Obliterate."

There was a large flash of light as a blast erupted from the Mad Hatter. The shadows screeched as the light touched them before dissipating into nothing.

The last thing Break heard were the inhuman shrieks of Kevin and Albus.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Darkness.

That was all Break saw when he emerged from within his Chain's cocoon.

"Ah la la," Break muttered. "I know that your attack does quite a bit of damage, but I didn't think _this_ would happen…"

He suddenly doubled over and started coughing into his hand. When the coughs subsided, the white-haired man looked into this hand and saw a little blood spatter his palm. "This always happens," he murmured before standing up once more.

"Well, we aren't going to get anywhere by just standing here," Break said, walking off in a random direction, Mad Hatter hovering behind him. "We might as well go and see if there's an exit."

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	26. Retrace 25: Brother and Brother

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

'_**The' – Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

AN: This isn't going to be a very long chapter, so don't get your hopes up. I was kind of rushing to get this done since my laptop was running out of charge and I didn't have my charger with me.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Brother and Brother~Oo**

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" Gilbert muttered furiously, trying to shield himself from the shower of blood.

Just then, the walls of the room disappeared, leaving nothing but a floor and the belongings in the room floating around aimlessly.

"Welcome back Onii-sama," a voice giggled. "I'm so glad you came back to play!"

"Who's there!" the dark-haired man demanded. "Show yourself!"

It was then that a young Vincent Nightray faded into view in front of Gilbert.

"Vincent," Gilbert's eyes widened.

"What wrong, Onii-sama?" Vincent asked innocently. "Didn't you like my present?"

"Present?" Gilbert echoed.

"Those of course!" the blonde-haired child giggled, pointing to the dead bodies he'd seen before.

"Come on, Onii-sama," Vincent untied the older man from the chair. "Let's play!"

"Look kid," the dark-haired man growled at the boy, "there's no way I'm going near a murderer!"

Vincent's eyes filled with tears and for a moment Gilbert actually felt guilty. That is, until the young boy noticed that the older man hadn't fallen for his tears.

A wind began to whip around the bi-colour eyed boy as his eyes glowed furiously, a frightening expression on his face. "We're going to play! NOW! Dee! Dum! I want you guys to meet someone!"

Suddenly a dark shadow rose up from the ground behind Vincent and split into two. Each individual shadow slowly morphed into somewhat disfigured semi-human forms.

They were both twins, Gilbert noticed, but each had a different colour theme. One was going with a magenta theme while the other was sticking with a dull-orange.

(AN: Honestly, I'm sick and as I mentioned, I was rushing, so I won't be describing how the twins look, so just use your imagination and think up whatever grotesque images you can for the Chains. And in case the twin thing or the names called out didn't ring any bells, these are supposed to be wacked-up versions of Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum)

"Do you like my friends, Onii-sama?" Gilbert noticed a change in the young boy before him; his voice seemed to echo with several different tones, as though several voices spoke at once.

"Who are you?" the dark-haired man demanded, figuring that something was off. He backed away slowly as a blood-red light emanated from the small being.

Bright blonde hair dulled to a grayish-blonde tone, skin became pasty-white and his eyes…his eyes were no more than two pools of black. His mouth opened to reveal elongating canines and a forked tongue. Nails grew and grew until they were

"We want to play, Onii-sama!" a high-pitched voice shrieked. "We want to play!"

"Raven," Gilbert said simply, feeling the large bird materialize behind him. "Go."

With that, the large bird-Chain swooped off towards what used to be young Vincent and his two Chains with Gilbert right behind him, pistol drawn.

"Dee! Dum! It's time to play!" the thing had was Vincent squealed, launching himself at Gilbert as the twin Chains charged at Raven.

Gilbert shot off three bullets, two missing their mark and the last lodging itself into 'Vincent's' left shoulder.

'Vincent' let out a cry of pain and outrage and shot out his arm at the dark-haired man, nails becoming longer and longer to reach the target.

Gilbert dodged the claws and looked up when a shriek sounded. He saw that his Chain had finished off one of the two twin Chains, leaving nothing but a few scraps of fabric behind. He smirked.

Unfortunately, Gilbert found out that he shouldn't have looked away when he felt a blinding pain in his right leg. Glancing down to the source, he found 'Vincent's' claws lodged into his right thigh.

Gilbert's jaw clenched, stifling a pained yelp.

"I love this game, Onii-sama!" Vincent laughed. "Why don't we p—" he was cut off by two loud gun shots ringing through the air.

Unlike last time, both bullets had lodged themselves into 'Vincent's' chest. Flowers of red slowly bloomed on his chest as the inhuman being staggered back and looked at Gilbert with questioning eyes. "W-Why…"

The dark-haired man said nothing as he watched the scene with cold eyes. He didn't even bother looking up when another shriek sounded, signaling the end of the other Chain.

"Well, that's that," Gilbert closed his eyes with a sigh, feeling Raven return to his place behind him.

When he opened his eyes, Gilbert let out a strangled sound. "What the hell?! Where am I _NOW_?!"

The dark-haired male continued to grumble under his breath as he started walking in a random direction, his Chain right behind him.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	27. Retrace 26: Lacie's Tale

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

'_**The' – Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

AN: I don't it's quite that long, and it's more of an explanation chapter, so don't expect too much to happen.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Lacie's Tale~Oo**

Oz stepped cautiously through the halls of what seemed to his home, following the singing to its source. However, curiously enough, the voice continued to repeat the same verse over and over.

_The robin's home is a nest o'erhead_  
_The bees, they nest in a hive instead_  
_My baby's nest is his little bed_  
_Bye, baby, bye_

Suddenly he saw a shadow flit by with the echo of footsteps behind it. _'What could _that_ have been?'_

'_**Oz,'**_ came Jack's voice, _**'Be careful. Something seems…off about this place. I'm pretty sure you've already noticed that this can't really be your home, correct?'**_

Oz nodded slightly. _**'I know…something feels familiar, too. I just can't figure out what…'**_

Just then, the signing stopped and a giggle was heard.

Wanting to find out just what was going on, Oz ran towards the source of the voice, finding himself being led down several different halls, sometimes being led down one that he'd already been in.

After a few moments, Oz realized that he was no longer in his hone, but the manor he'd stayed at during the time of his Coming of Age ceremony.

The giggling grew louder and the gold-haired man ran after it to a place he knew quite well. And just as expected, he was led to Lacie's grave.

But the one thing neither Oz nor Jack counted on was the transparent young woman sitting atop the gravestone.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

She had long brown hair, much like Alice's, a fair complexion, and deep red-violet eyes. Her hair was left down to touch the backs of her knees.

She wore an azure gown with layers of green showing through. White laces decorated the ends of the sleeves and the edges of her skirts. Upon her feet were a pair of simple black shoes and a small brown bunny doll was hugged within her arms.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

(AN: I'm not going to go into much detail, so just use your imagination)

"Hello, Oz," the young woman greeted, "I've wanted to speak to you for a while."

"Who are you?" the gold-haired male demanded. "How do you know my name?"

"You know of me, Oz Vessalius," the woman smiled gently. "My name is Lacie Evengale."

"Lacie…" emerald eyes widened. "But how?"

"This dimension is alive, Oz," Lacie explained patiently. "Glen had ordered it to separate you from your companions, but left it up to the dimension itself to come up with something to do with each of you. I managed to intercept you just as my other daughter did with your Alice."

"Intercept me?" Oz inquired.

"My soul has been floating for quite a while now," Lacie explained. "I 'latched onto' Glen, you could say, because I needed to find some way to stop his plans. When you and your companions walked into the dimension, I realized that one of you could help me and so I separated myself from him and searched until I found you."

"What makes you think I'm ideal for this task?" Oz asked quietly.

"Because you're the one that has taken care of Alice," Lacie said as though it was obvious.

"What do you want me to do?" Oz asked. "I only know that Glen needs to be stopped. I've no clue as to what I can do to make that come to pass."

"It's best if I start at the beginning," Lacie said, sitting on the ground and motioning for him to do so as well.

"I am a Child of Ill Omen," she began, "Children of Ill Omen are special people that have a direct connection to the Abyss. Most of us travel to the Abyss and live there after a certain amount of time here in this world. We are also considered a taboo, of sorts, by some. In order to prevent an outbreak of Chains, some Children are sacrificed, believing that it will maintain the balance between the two worlds."

"But you never travel to the Abyss, did you?" Oz said gently.

Lacie shook her head in negative. "NO, I didn't. I was too scared. I first found out about being a Child when I was sixteen and after living for so long, hearing of nothing but horrible things about the Abyss, I was just too frightened to do what most Children would. But then things changed when I met Glen."

Her face took on a slightly dreamy look. "He was a charming young man, and handsome, too. Everything a girl could ask for. He and I courted for a time until he proposed to me on my eighteenth birthday, to which I agreed. And it wasn't long before I found myself pregnant.

But I soon noticed that Glen was growing distant; leaving for many hours, even days at a time. I barely saw him for more than a few minutes when he was at the manor. I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why. And so I was never able to tell him that I was expecting. And when my baby girl, my Alice, was finally brought out into this world, something happened. A portal to the Abyss opened and Alice was surrounded by a light. And when the light pulled apart from my little girl, I saw another girl identical to my Alice, but with white hair. I thought I was hallucinating until I heard the child give out her first cry.

But just as I was about to reach for her, she disappeared, along with the portal. I soon realized that because I never took that trip to the Abyss, it decided to make a decision for me and take my child, or at least one of my children, as compensation. Because I gave birth, my gift as a Child of Ill Omen was passed down to Alice before that part of her was separated and taken into the Abyss."

Lacie's face grew sad and solemn. "About a month after that, Glen returned home, demanding to know why I never told him I was a Child of Ill Omen. It was the first time he'd ever snapped at me in our time together. And it was also the first time I noticed a small glint of insanity in his eyes. And when he saw Alice, he went mad, thinking that I'd given myself to another man in his time away. He told me to get rid of my baby, and when I refused, he just left. I tried many times to tell him who Alice's father was, but he would never listen. Soon I found Glen muttering about the Abyss and its power. He also mentioned something about the power of Children of Ill Omen.

He must have found out about my talents being passed onto Alice because two years later, I found him standing over Alice's crib, with a dagger in hand. And just when he was about to kill Alice, I stepped in and took the blade for her. After my death, my soul couldn't pass on completely because I felt the need to watch over my daughter because I didn't trust Glen, not anymore. But it seemed that he must have been somewhat sane for one moment, because he'd made sure that Alice was taken care of. A favour to me, I suppose. I knew Glen wanted Alice for the power he thought she held, and so I watched as my daughter grew up, isolated from the world, never knowing who her parents were. And when she finally has a friend, it's taken away along with her life."

"What do you want me to do?" Oz said after a moment.

"Please, stop Glen in any way possible," Lacie pleaded. "His mind is too far gone in his quest for power and I fear just what may happen if he gains control of the power of the Abyss."

"I'll do what I can," Oz told her, not wanting to make a promise he couldn't keep.

"And there is one more thing," the brown-haired woman spoke. "I've noticed over the years that Glen still believes that I wasn't loyal to him and that Alice isn't his child. A portion of his anger stems from that belief. Please, tell him the truth; it just may give you the opening you need to stop my husband once and for all!"

Oz nodded to the teary-eyes woman and watched as the world around him started to crumble, leaving him in a world of darkness.

"'Tell him the truth', huh?" Oz muttered. "Easier said than done, Lacie. Easier said than done…" he started off on a random direction, hoping to find a way out.

_**'But at least now we**** know...'** _Jack murmured.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	28. Retrace 27: Farewell, My Sister

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

'_**The' – Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

AN: This is pretty short, so don't expect too much to happen.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Farewell, My Sister~Oo**

_Alice_ stopped mid-sip and looked up from her cup of tea.

"What's wrong-nya?" Cheshire looked up from his bowl of cream, nudging Alice.

The brown-haired girl swallowed another bite of her pastry and glanced at her sister curiously. "What's wrong?"

"It seems that your friends are getting quite close to escaping the traps Glen set for them," _Alice_ replied. "As of now, they are wandering through a dark void. That has no beginning and no end unless you know where to look."

Alice set her pastries down and looked at her sibling with a serious expression. "So how are they supposed to get out?"

"Jack-I mean, _Oz_ can try to use sword to cut though the void," _Alice _began.

"I'm hearing a 'but' in there," the brown-haired girl crossed her arms, eyebrow raised.

"Well, it looks like you _can_ be perceptive," _Alice_ teased before her faced eased back into a serious expression. "Oz can use his sword; however he would only be able to use it as a light rather than something to cut at that point."

"Why-nya?" Cheshire spoke up.

"If he tries to cut through that void," _Alice's _voice dropped low, "then it will split, but upon splitting, one of two things could happen. The first is that the dimension will try to devour him and there would be no way to save him then; not even his own powers would be enough to rescue him."

"Wait a second," Alice held up a hand, "Why the heck are you talking about it like it's alive?"

"Because it is," _Alice_ explained, "when each of you were separated, it was upon Glen's orders, but he left it up to the dimension itself to come up with something different for each person. I was only able to bring you here because of my connection to you. I wouldn't have been able to do that before, but for some reason, the connection became strong for that instant, allowing me to bring you here."

"What's the second thing-nya?" Cheshire asked.

"The second thing that could happen is that the destruction of the dimension could cause a chain reaction," _Alice_ told the two. "This means that when that dimension is disrupted so greatly, it could cause other dimensions to collapse just as easily."

"Then how can they escape-nya?" Cheshire slurped up the last bit of cream.

"I can create a gateway," _Alice_ replied. "Using your contract to Oz as the conduit, I can create a path that would lead everyone to the exact same point."

Alice and Cheshire nodded. "So when do we start?" the brunette asked.

"As much as I hate to say it, it's best if we get started now," the white-haired girl frowned, "If we leave your friends alone in that dimension for too long, they could be driven to insanity."

'_Could the Clown be anymore insane than he already is?'_ Alice thought absently. "So what do we do?"

"Cheshire, I'll need you to shift and Alice, hold on tight to him," _Alice _ordered. When the two had done as she'd said, the white-haired girl held up her hands, palms facing the two.

As _Alice_ chanted, a soft white light shot out of her hands and engulfed Alice and Cheshire. The two felt a slight tug and watched as a path of soft white light formed before them, leading to an opening.

"Go!" _Alice_ panted from exertion. "I don't know how long I can keep this up!"

Alice and Cheshire glanced at each other for a moment before nodding and shouted a thanks to the white-haired girl as they ran towards the opening.

The moment her sister and Cheshire stepped through the opening, _Alice_ collapsed to the floor, panting heavily. _'Good luck, my sister,'_ she thought.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	29. Retrace 28: A Situation at Pandora

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

'_**The' – Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

AN: This chapter was already posted, but I took it down and fixed it up a bit before re-posting it again. After this, it's only another two or three chapters, possibly four until this is officially done! GAH! I'm getting depressed now!

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~A Situation at Pandora~Oo**

-Pandora Headquarters-

As Oz and the others braved the strange dimension created by Glen Baskerville, Oscar Vessalius sat in a meeting with the other three Dukedom Heads and a few other chiefs of Pandora as they discussed the matter of how to obtain the final gate to the Abyss from the Baskervilles.

Suddenly, Ada burst through the doors, cheeks flushed from exertion. She wore a simple light-turquoise dress with pale-green trim and floaty sleeves of the same shade while a white ribbon held her hair back in its usual style.

"Uncle Oscar!" she panted. "We're under attack! It's a horde of Trumps and Trump Cards! They've surrounded the compound!"

"What?" Oscar asked in urgency. "But why now? The Baskerville's couldn't be planning something, could they?"

"There is no time to figure out how," Rufus Barma announced, "We must go out and eliminate these Chains before anything happens." He turned to one of the Pandora Commanders. "Inform all divisions to summon their Chains and ready the weapons for the fight. Send guards to each of the Gates leading to the Abyss."

Saluting the Duke, the Commander and the other heads, with the exceptions of the Dukes and Ada left the room to do as Duke Barma had commanded.

"The rest of us must hurry before those Chains begin to tear down these walls!" the crimson-haired duke ordered as he ran out the door with the other three Head of Estates flowed and Ada followed behind.

"God Almighty," Oscar breathed out in shock and fear inspired awe, "There's so many of them…Dear Lord help us all. We'll need it."

One by one each of the four Dukes began calling out their Chains.

(AN: Alright, I'm going to give names to each of the Chains the Dukes are going to call out. Most will probably be French words that mean something else, but don't penalize me for that! Oh, and I realize that many believe that this is going completely by the manga. Unfortunately, as much as I'd like that, I haven't read the entire series, only watched the anime, so I know that some of the Chains in the manga are either in my story, just in another way or form, or they're not in the story at all.)

"Dronte. Assistance," Duke Barma said quietly, having no need to shout, unlike some Chain users.

(Dronte [French] = Dodo)

"Baissier, your turn!" Oscar said just a touch louder than the eldest Duke.

(Baissier [French] = Bear; for further notice, this is the Bandersnatch.)

"Duchess, darling, time to play," Duchess Elizabeth Nightray cackled, but disguised it with a chuckle.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Elizabeth Nightray was a woman in her mid-forties or so, but looked much younger than she was.

(AN: Just as a heads up, I don't remember if this was mentioned or if I've ever bothered to write this, but the legal Contracts approved by Pandora cause the non-again process.)

She had mid-back-length deep black-brown hair that was slightly curly but wavy; her bangs were splayed across her forehead, just touching her eyebrows. She had fair skin and deep grey-blue eyes that glimmered with intelligence and insanity.

She wore a simple black gown with a high collar and elbow-length sleeves; there was deep-blue trimming as well. And on her feet were a pair of simple black lace-up boots.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Chevalier, front and center," Duke Daniel Rainsworth called out to his Chain.

(Chevalier [French] = Knight)

* * *

Daniel Rainsworth was a man in his late-thirties, early-forties, but once again, like Duchess Nightray, he looked younger than what he truly was.

He had dark-sandy-brown hair that hung just past his shoulders with a simple, but slightly messy fringe; the hair splayed across his forehead. His skin was slightly fair, but a bit more of a light-peachy tine to it though and he had reddish-pink eyes. And his ears were pierced with rubies hanging off of silver chains connected to hooks from his earlobes.

(AN: I'm not going to go in detail as to what he's wearing, so just imagine the types of coats Jack wears only in a violet-grey color with gold trim, a black slacks and black shoes)

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Dronte shimmered into existence behind Duke Barma.

He had deep-violet-crimson feathers, a hook shaped bill covered by what seemed to look like a mask of silver armor covering his bill and over to just a bit before reaching his deep-red-black eyes.

He stood at least ten times the size of Duke Barma himself.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Baissier suddenly tore through the air, leaving quite a large rip in the space behind her, but that disappeared just as quickly as it came as she went over to settle behind Oscar with a mighty roar. Oscar who may I add was about a third or so of his Chain's height.

She had white-blue-grey fur with black spots littering the lighter color. She had large silver claws and sharp white teeth and a very long tail. Her deep-amber eyes looked on eagerly. Overall, she looked like a very large dog.

(If any of you have every watched InuYasha, Baissier looks like Sesshomaru in his True form-the huge white dog- but with the features I gave her.)

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Duchess stepped out of the portal regally as she stepped over to stand next to Elizabeth, who was only a few inches shorter than the Chain.

Duchess had pale, sickly looking skin with what looked like stitches made of thread on her face and hands; she had wild and curly hair that stopped a touch after her shoulders and deep magenta eyes that held glee and a definite glow of insanity.

She wore a dull-violet gown that had patches of other random fabrics stitched here and there all over it, a pair of worn loafers were on her feet and a red cap with a long tattered veil hanging off of the back of the hat. All in all, she looked like a psychotic and ugly hag. (Sorry! I just had to put that in! XD)

* * *

Just as the Dukes and Duchess were about to command their Chains to begin attacking, something unexpected occurred.

"Let's go, Albus!" Ada shouted, causing the Dukes and Duchess, bar the crimson-haired duke, to look at the young girl in confusion and shock.

A black portal opened behind Ada as a Chain burst through it to land behind his Contractor.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

As his named suggested, this Albus was the very same Chain that had once Contracted with Break when he was Kevin Regnard. However, he didn't look the same.

Albus surprisingly appeared as a young man around his late twenties. He had pale skin that glowed and silver hair that was tied up in a high ponytail that trailed to mid-back with a red feather sticking out of the base of the ponytail. His silver and red eyes watched the area about him blankly; his left eye was covered with an armoured eye-patch. He stood at a good 6' in height.

He wore a pair of black breeches tucked into steel boots. His top only consisted of a tight black shirt with quarter-length sleeves. Covering his shirt was a silver-white iron breastplate was strapped on his chest while on his shoulders were a pair of light-iron armor plates. On his right arm was a band of chainmail. His left arm from below the elbow and down was a long lance. His knees were covered with steel knee-guards, he wore a pair of black gloves with fingerless steel gauntlets over them and a silver-white sword was strapped to his waist alongside a large shield strapped to his back.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"A-Ada," Oscar sputtered, "W-When did you make a Contract? PLEASE DON'T TELL UNCLE THAT YOU MADE AN ILLEGAL CONTRACT!" By now, as you can guess, Oscar Vessalius had begun crying, with Baissier looking on at him, sweat-dropping and shaking her head at his antics.

"Uncle Oscar…" Ada sweat-dropped, "I'm not an Illegal Contractor. I met Albus a year or two back and Duke Barma granted us a Legal Contract. The age halt will begin when I turn twenty."

Oscar had stopped crying and started to compose himself and looked around to find the oldest of the Four Dukes.

"Where's Rufus?" Oscar asked.

"He could be right behind you with the other two Heads, fighting the Trumps and Chains," Ada commented sarcastically.

Oscar looked at Ada curiously before turning around to see the three House Heads doing exactly what his niece had said they were.

"GAH! What am I doing standing around?" Oscar shouted. "I can't let them have all the fun!"

Ada, Albus, and Baissier all did simultaneous anime-falls, while the other three House Heads that were fighting alongside or commanding their Chains, just sweat-dropped at the over-dramatic Duke.

With a loud command, Oscar and Baissier leapt into the battle as Ada and Albus followed.

* * *

-Pandora Headquarters; A Long While Later-

Oscar Vessalius, Daniel Rainsworth, Elizabeth Nightray, Rufus Barma, and Ada Vessalius panted as they each slumped into a seat in one of the [miraculously] untouched conference rooms.

"It's finally stopped," Ada puffed.

"But for how long?" Elizabeth wheezed, the insane glint in her eyes dying down a bit.

The five of them had been taking out every Chain that had appeared from the Abyss nearly nonstop up until a few moments ago when the flow of Trumps and Trumps Cards began to slow until it halted completely.

"This can't be a coincidence," Oscar said seriously, once he caught his breath. "Whatever Break, Raven, and Jack are doing must have caused some sort of reaction."

"Just what have they done to warrant an attack of this magnitude?" Daniel exclaimed.

"I can explain that," Sharon's voice echoed around the room.

A shadow from a corner of the room became distorted as it formed a portal of sorts, from which Sharon and her Chain, Eques, stepped through into the room.

"Sharon? What on earth are you doing here? Since when have you been Contracted?" Daniel said, surprised to see his daughter. "And just what do you mean when you say you can explain?"

"I am a member of Pandora, father. Though I don't partake in anything too dangerous, as per Break's instructions. And I've been Contracted to Eques since just after my 16th birthday with mother's permission, though how you dismissed the age-halt so quickly is something only you can explain." Sharon told her father patiently. "As for what I said, I meant it. I can explain what I know about hat those three are up to."

"Then explain Rainsworth-san," Duke Barma demanded.

"It's simple," Sharon gave an unsettling smile, "the three of them and their Chains have gone to put an end to Glen Baskerville once and for all."

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	30. Retrace29: Glen Baskerville & Jabberwock

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

'_**The' – Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

AN: I'm pretty sure that with the way I'm planning it, after this there will be one or two more chapters, not including the epilogue.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Glen Baskerville and Jabberwock~Oo**

'_I hope I'm not too late,'_ Alice thought as she continued to run on the glowing path with Cheshire held tight within her arms. _'Oz-niisama, Seaweed Head, Stupid Clown, hold on for a little bit longer!'_

* * *

-Break & Mad Hatter-

"We've been walking for a while and there's _still _no way out?" Break murmured to himself, as he continued walking.

Unfortunately, Break's vision started to blur slightly. The white-haired man blinked and waited for his vision to focus, only to see ghostly apparitions before him.

"It was you," they all chorused, repeating the same line over and over again. One by one, more and more of them appeared around Break and his Chain. With each chanting of the line, they all took a step closer to the white-haired man.

And just when Break thought this would be the end, he saw a path of soft-white light cut through the apparitions and zoomed in beneath his feet.

Hearing footsteps, the red-eyed man looked up to see a figure shrouded in black running towards him. As the figure drew closer, he realized that it was Alice and Cheshire.

"Come one, you Stupid Clown!" Alice shouted as she ran past him. "We need to go! NOW! Before anyone else gets into anymore trouble!"

Not understanding what Alice meant, Break raised a brow before shrugging and running along the path that seemed to lengthen as Alice kept going.

* * *

-Gilbert & Raven-

Gilbert sighed in frustration. The dark-haired man didn't know how long he'd been walking, but he was pretty sure that he wasn't getting anywhere.

"When I get out of here, I'm going to give whoever is responsible a couple well-placed shots to the—" he was cut off by a low moan that sounded.

This was followed by a high-pitched shriek and a chorus of groans.

A shiver trailed up Gilbert's spine as he looked around, trying to see just who or what was making the sounds.

"_Ring around the roses  
A pocket full of posies…"_

Gilbert spun around, hearing the chorus of voices singing the haunting rhyme. He tried to pinpoint the location from where the voices came from, but to no avail.

"_Ashes, ashes  
We all fall down…"_

It seemed that the singing came from all directions.

Panicked, Gilbert broke out into a run, only to find that the singing followed him and drew closer with each step he took.

And just when the voices were at their loudest, a path of soft-white light cut through the darkness and ran underneath his feet.

"Oi, Seaweed Head!" came Alice's voice.

"Stupid Rabbit?" Gilbert muttered. "What the hell?"

"This isn't the time to stand around, you idiot!" the brown-haired girl shouted at him. "We have to go now!"

"Unless you don't want to save your master…" Break drawled playfully.

_That_ got Gilbert's attention and broke off into a run, following the two Chains and the white-haired man.

'_Hold on, Oz,' _Gilbert thought, _'We're coming!'_

* * *

-Oz-

"I could just cut myself out of here, can't I?" the gold-haired man muttered, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

'_**Don't!'**_ Jack shouted, making Oz lose his balance and tumble to the ground. Or at least what seemed to be the ground.

'_**Why shouldn't I?'**_ Oz questioned. _**'It'd be quicker than walking around the entire time.'**_

'_**Did you forget what Lacie told you?'**_ Jack reminded. _**'This dimension is **_**ALIVE**_**. This means that if you harm it in any way, it would react in some way or another and it wouldn't be in our favour!'**_

'_**Okay, okay, so hacking myself out is out of the question,'**_ the gold-haired man conceded. _**'But then what should I do, then? Wait around until someone comes to rescue me? I'm not the princess that waits for the prince to save the day!'**_

'_**That's exactly what you should do,'**_ Jack said bluntly. _**'And you say you're not a princess? Well, let's just imagine you in a pretty dress with all the right accessories, make-up, and a why not put your hair up, too? Think about it, you'd make a pretty girl!'**_

A vein ticked on Oz's forehead.

'_**If I look like a girl, then you do, too!'**_ Oz retorted. _**'Remember, my hair's just as long as **_**yours**_** and **_**I'm**_** practically a carbon copy of **_**you**_**. So technically, when you're imagining **_**me**_** in that get-up, you're imagining **_**yourself**_** in it. And of course, that makes me worry about a bit…'**_

Jack had no comeback for this. _**'Oh just shut-up and wait to be saved!'**_

As if on cue, a path of soft-white light appeared beneath his feet. The gold-haired man looked up and saw his two Chains as well as Break and Gilbert with their Chains running towards him.

"Let's go, Oz-niisama!" Alice called as and the others ran up to him and passed him.

The gold-haired man blinked for a moment, before he snapped out of his daze and ran after them.

"Do I want to know how this happened?" Oz asked Alice.

"It's nothing bad, Nii-sama," the brunette reassured her Contractor. "I'll tell you about it after we're out of this place, though."

The gold-haired man gave a nod in acceptance and they continued to run in silence towards the glowing white opening in the distance.

* * *

"Great, we get out of one place and into another!" Gilbert burst out. "Where the hell are we now?!"

Before Oz was able to answer his friend, clapping sounded, echoing around the large room that was composed of warping colours.

"I'm impressed," a low silky voice chuckled. "You all made it through the little gifts I sent."

"Who are you!" Alice demanded as Cheshire shifted to his human-cat form.

With that, a shadow rose up from the ground a few feet away from them, taking the form of a man Jack knew very well and Oz knew from witnessing Jack's memories.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

This man had wavy black hair that was half pulled back with a maroon ribbon, pale skin, and a pair of dark-violet eyes.

He wore a maroon long-sleeved button-down shirt with a dark-brown button-down waistcoat over it. He wore a pair of black dress pants with black dress shoes, and a black justaucorps coat with gold embroidery and fastenings.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"Glen," Oz said in a lowly voice.

"What?" Gilbert turned to Oz in shock, noticing Break's eyes turning to the gold-haired man as well.

"This is Glen Baskerville," Oz announced, "the man responsible for the numerous deaths and the Tragedy of Sabrièl."

Glen chuckled for a moment before his eyes laid upon the one who'd spoken. Violet eyes widened as the smile fell from his face and was replaced with a furious expression.

"You!" Glen growled. "You should be dead! You couldn't have lived after what that boy did!"

'_So he thinks I'm Jack,'_ Oz thought in amusement. _'This just might work to our advantage.'_

"But I did," Oz retorted, "and this time, I will make absolute sure you cannot cheat death!"

"I'd like to see you try, you imbecilic fool!" a malevolent laugh erupted from Glen as his deep-violet orbs began to glow eerily. Suddenly, a Chain burst out from the ground, only to land behind the black-haired male.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

The Chain was a large dragon, similar to that of the one the five fought in Reveille. Only this one was black as ebony with a blood-red eye and violet running down the underside of her chin all the way down to the underside of the tip of her tail. Her black wings with violet undersides were tattered and scars marred his body. Her right eye was sewn shut while several severed Chains were wrapped around his body. Two rows of sharp yellow-white teeth ran inside her mouth and pair of horns was perched on her head.

(AN: Picture Maleficent's Dragon form in _Sleeping Beauty_ and give it the traits I added.)

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"This," Glen said in sadistic glee, "is—"

"Jabberwock," Oz breathed out, eyes wide.

"This is really bad-nya," Cheshire muttered.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	31. Retrace 30: One Final Battle

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

'_**The' – Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

AN: If I play my cards right, then this should be the final actual chapter and after this will be the epilogue. In any case, I'm no good with battle scenes, so I'll do my best, though the chapter might turn out to be shorter than I wanted…

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~One Final Battle~Oo**

"B-Rabbit," Oz muttered, feeling Alice shift into her rabbit form, scythe in hand.

"So how are we supposed to do this?" Gilbert whispered to Oz.

"We wing it, I suppose," Oz shrugged. "I only knew of Jabberwock, but I've never really seen it fight to know how to beat it."

"Just what do you think you can gain from the power of the Abyss, Glen?" Oz spoke up. "You slaughtered so many because of power. What did you want that power for?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Glen chuckled with an insane glint sparkling in his eyes. He leapt forward, sword in hand at Oz.

At the same time, Jabberwock and the other Chains charged at each other, dodging and delivering blows.

"What about Lacie?" Oz shouted as he and Glen clashed swords, Break and Gilbert behind the violet-eyes man, weapons trained on him. "Would she have been proud of you for doing this?!"

That seemed to have struck a chord in Glen. His expression turned furious. "Never speak of that unfaithful wench again! I don't care about what she would have thought! SHE. WAS. DISLOYAL!"

Glen lashed out at the trio, sending them flying into the ground.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

Meanwhile the Chains were having little to no luck landing any blows on Jabberwock. The large dragon seemed to have almost impenetrable hide, making their attacks on it just about useless.

Alice let out a shout of frustration. "You're an eyesore!" She flung her scythe at the dragon-Chain.

The large Chain was preoccupied with the persistent attacks of Raven and Cheshire, and so when it finally spotted the scythe, it had no chance of dodging it.

There was a sickening squishy sound was heard as the weapon lodged itself in the dragon's eye.

Seeing the momentary lapse, Mad Hatter and B-Rabbit both launched their spear-tipped chains at the dragon-Chain. The chains all wrapped around the dragon's legs, neck and wings, pinning it to the ground.

"Now!" Alice shouted at Cheshire and Raven.

Cheshire hissed and let out a roar as he slashed at Jabberwock's other eye, now rendering it completely blind. Raven let out a flurry of razor sharp feathers and shadow spears at the dragon.

This time, the attacks hit the many scars that littered the dragon's body, opening them.

_**Pandora~Hearts**_

"You don't know the truth, Glen!" Oz shouted as he stood shakily. "Lacie was never unfaithful!"

"Shut up!" Glen roared, charging towards Oz once again, only to collapse after a few paces.

Oz felt something drip onto his face and looked up along with Break and Gilbert, and saw that the rain of liquid was really a drizzle of blood from the dragon-Chain's wounds.

"Jabberwock," Glen whispered.

"Pay attention!" Gilbert shot his gun thrice at Glen, with the dark-haired male dodging only one of the three. The first lodged itself into his upper shoulder while the second only grazed his cheek.

"Damn you!" Glen yelled, running at Gilbert, only to be stopped by Break's blade. Quickly, Glen ducked underneath the sharp edge, avoiding the blow, but he was unprepared for the second half of Break's cane to knock him in the gut.

"Hold him down!" Oz cried out to Break and Gilbert, who scrambled to do as he ordered.

"Listen to what I have to say, Glen, and then think about everything," Oz told the man that was held down.

"Release me!" Glen yelled at the trio.

"Just how often were you around Lacie in the months after your marriage?" Oz asked, making the squirming man still.

"Not very often, correct?" Oz answered himself. "You were constantly going off places doing research on the Abyss and the power the Will of the Abyss had. And then you found out about Lacie. How she was a Child of Ill Omen."

"Shut up!" Glen roared.

By now, the Chains had also stopped attacking the now unconscious dragon and were listening to what Oz was saying.

"And then you left," Oz continued as though he was never interrupted. "You left for long periods of time, never giving your wife time to tell you about the good news she had. But when you finally came back after so long and saw her, you demanded she abandon the child she birthed, never knowing the truth of the child."

"Silence!" Glen tried to speak again.

"Two years after, you tried to murder the child, realizing that she must have gained the powers that Lacie once had as a Child of Ill Omen," Oz ignored Glen's interruption and the gazes that Break and Gilbert sent him. "But Lacie died protecting her baby. And as a favour to her, you decided to have the child cared for, though isolated from the world."

He looked at Glen with a cold gaze. "Did you ever give her a chance to explain who the father was? No, you didn't. You decided that because she was left alone for so long, she must have betrayed you for some other fellow, that had she been pregnant with your child she would have told you. But how could she? You never gave her the time of day. You were so caught up in your plans to gain the power of the Abyss that you neglected your wife!"

"You courted Lacie and knew her for so long," the gold-haired man spoke, "you should have known that she would never betray you. Have you ever wondered who Alice's father was? Had you given Lacie a moment's time to explain, to tell you; you would know that Alice is _your_ daughter! She is a carbon copy of Lacie with _your_ eyes! How you could never see that is beyond me. You locked away an innocent girl for years, never telling her anything of her mother and never glancing her way for more than a few moments. Why is that? Was it because she looked so much like Lacie? Or was it because Alice was a constant reminder of the supposed treachery Lacie had committed?"

"Shut up!" Glen roared once more, though this time a deep-maroon light erupted from him, engulfing both him and Jabberwock.

Suddenly, Glen's body and that of Jabberwock's dissipated.

"What the—" Gilbert began, only to cut himself off when he saw the large being formed a large shadow.

The dark of the shadow faded away to reveal Jabberwock, bigger than before, but this time with armoured plating scattered over its body. And right there in the centre of the dragon-Chain's forehead was Glen Baskerville. It looked as though he'd been sucked into Jabberwock's head; everything from the waist down was most likely inside Jabberwock, while everything from the waist up was showing. However, Glen no longer looked as he had a few moments before. His eyes glowed a deep red, and his skin now shone a pasty-grey.

"By the Gods," Oz breathed.

"Ah la la," Break murmured, red eyed wide in shock.

"Should that even be possible?" Gilbert chocked out.

"Only if one was desperate enough," Oz told them, "things like this don't happen unless the Contractor is desperate enough that he no longer cares about what happens to him as long as he carries out his desire."

"How the hell are we supposed to beat something like that?!" Gilbert exclaimed.

He looked to Oz for an answer, only to find him ordering Cheshire and Alice to attack the creature, just as Break was doing for the Mad Hatter.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted.

"Improvising," Oz shrugged as though it was nothing. "Now, go B-Rabbit! Cheshire Cat! Bring that thing down to its knees!"

"You as well, Mad Hatter," Break told his Chain, "obliterate that creature."

"I guess it can't be helped," Gilbert sighed. He turned to his own Chain. "Go with them and attack with all you have. Make sure that this thing will never be able to cheat death ever again!"

And with that all the Chains charged at the creature, throwing any and every attack they could at it.

Unfortunately, the thing was so large and the armour so strong that the most of the attacks bounced off of it. And the ones that actually hit the creature only left a miniscule scratch that was healed almost as soon as the wound was received.

Just then, the creature let loose a powerful pulse of energy, shoving the Chains back and while their Contractors were flung back.

"We need help," Oz muttered. _**'Please, Uncle Oscar, Sharon-chan, if anyone can hear me please send help. We can't do this alone!'**_

* * *

-Pandora Headquarters-

After cleaning up some of the damage done by the Trumps and Trump Cards, the meeting between the four dukes resumed, though this time Sharon and Ada were invited to stay and participate, while the Pandora chiefs were out fulfilling the orders of the four dukes.

"Can they truly defeat Glen Baskerville?" Daniel Rainsworth asked quietly.

Oscar sighed. "I don't know. They're only three people with four Chains. For all we know, they could have underestimated the power Glen Baskerville holds."

Sharon was about to reassure them all, when she felt a pulse ringing throughout her body. And then she heard it. Oz's voice.

'_**Please, Uncle Oscar, Sharon-chan, if anyone can hear me please send help. We can't do this alone!'**_

"They need help," Sharon whispered, eyes wide, catching everyone's attention.

"What's wrong, Sharon?" Daniel asked, kneeling next to his daughter, checking her over. "What happened?"

"They need help," she repeated. "Something's happened, they need help!"

In that instant, everyone understood just who and what Sharon was talking about.

"But how?" Oscar asked. "How can we help them if we don't know where they are?"

Ada sat with a pensive expression for a moment before a thought occurred to her. "Eques," she said, "Eques can send our Chains to help them!"

"Can it be done?" Elizabeth asked, surprisingly sane.

"I think so," Sharon answered after a moment. "As long as you all think about their location clearly, it should be possible to send them to where Jack, Break, and Raven are."

"Then we must do it," Daniel looked to the other dukes, "and as quickly as we can. Last time it was the massacre of every living being in one city. This time, if Glen released upon the land, it might be more than a town, it could very well mean the end of the world!"

Moved by the mini-speech, everyone in the room nodded and made their way to the courtyard outside of the building and called out their Chains.

"Now, everyone" Sharon spoke, standing beside Eques, who stood before the rest of the Chains, "please think about Raven, Break and Jack. Concentrate on sending your Chains to them."

They all closed their eyes and thought as hard as they could until they heard a whoosh. Opening their eyes they saw that their Chains had disappeared, leaving no more than a slight breeze behind.

"Good luck," Ada whispered, hands clasped to her chest.

* * *

-Glen Baskerville's Dimension-

The dragon chain reared its head back and opened its mouth, revealing a forming ball of fire.

Oz, Break, and Gilbert closed their eyes, thinking it was the end since it was impossible for their Chains to reach them in time.

But when the creature let loose a large stream of fire, the trio was surprised to find that it didn't reach them like they thought.

They opened their eyes and saw the stream of fire being sucked into a portal Eques had created.

"Eques?" Break whispered.

"How—?" Gilbert managed to choke out, eyes wide.

"They heard," Oz gave a soft smile, looking at all of the Chains, "They heard."

"Let's go!" Alice shouted, leading the rest of the Chains to battle against the large creature.

Dronte's eyes glowed for a moment before animated copies of all of the Chains were created, surrounding the creature that had once been Jabberwock.

Mad Hatter and B-Rabbit once again launched their spear-tipped chains. They bound the creature's legs, neck, and its wings before pinning it to the floor.

Bassiere glowed a pale white for a moment and so did the Mad Hatter, Alice, Raven and Cheshire. When the glow died down, the four found their energy replenished and their wounds completely healed.

Duchess cackled as she tugged off her veil and charged directly at the creature. She leapt up and tore the veil to shreds before tossing the torn bits of cloth at the creature. Immediately, each piece of torn cloth lengthened into a shadow that wrapped around the armoured pieces on the creature. After each part was securely latched onto the armoured parts, Duchess held her arms out in front of her and the stitches that ran along her arms detached and attached to the shadows she'd created. Clenching her fists and jaw, Duchess pulled her arms as though she were trying to pull the reins on a galloping horse. The shadows were pulled upward and the pieces of armour were, too, moving slightly.

(AN: Okay, I just realized that my description of how Chevalier looked was wiped from the document posted, so please just use your imagination!)

Chevalier and Albus both ran at the creature and plunged their swords into the armoured plates Duchess was trying to pry off.

Splitting the armoured plates must have helped because once that was done, the armoured piece came off quite easily and were promptly flung to the side.

Raven cawed as he let loose another flurry of razor-sharp feathers and shadow spears. Unlike last time where not much damage was done, this time, the attack hit the creature dead on straight.

Deeps gashes and cuts littered the creature's body when the shower ended.

Alice and Mad Hatter retracted their Chains and watched as the creature slumped into unconsciousness.

Suddenly, Oz's saw a glow come from his side. He took a hold of the hilt of his blade and took it out of the sheath to find the blade was glowing a solid white.

'_**Now Oz!' **_Jack shouted.

Oz stood up as carefully as he could, making sure not to put much pressure on his left leg. Suddenly he felt his arm being slung over a shoulder and looked to see Gilbert smiling at him determinedly. "I won't leave your side, Master."

He looked over to Break and saw that the man had fallen unconscious. Oz remembered that using the Mad Hatter tends to take a toll on his body, and they'd been battling for a while now!

'_**There's no time to think about that now, Oz!'**_ Jack reprimanded. _**'We must finish Glen off now before he regains consciousness!'**_

Oz gave a mental sound in agreement as he raised his sword and chanted alongside Jack.

"_**O great blade that felled this enemy once before  
Do thy duty and rid the world of this evil now and forevermore!"**_

Oz flung the sword at the now awakening creature. _'Please! Reach before it's too late!'_ the gold-haired man prayed.

They all watched as the sword struck true and lodged itself into what was once Glen Baskerville's body.

A horrible shriek erupted from the mouth of Glen's body as cracks sprouted from where the sword had struck.

Gold light leaked out of the cracks now forming all over the creature's body until there was a large blast of golden light, engulfing them all.

That was the last thing Oz saw before he succumbed to the darkness that had been creeping over his vision.

* * *

_A bientôt,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	32. Epilogue: A Second Chance

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'_The'_ – _Thoughts_

'_**The' – Telepathic Speech**_

* * *

AN: WAAAH! This is the end! I feel so depressed about ending this! Then again, I always feel like this whenever I end a story…

Oh well, it's not like I can keep this going on forever! Everything must come to an end at some point or another. I thank the readers and reviewers that have stuck with this story for so long. But most of all, I thank my very best friend for introducing me to the anime series in the first place!

So for one last time, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Altered Rotation

**oO~Epilogue: A Second Chance~Oo**

"Oz…Oz," a voice called. "Come on, Oz, of all the days to sleep in why did you choose today?"

'_**Oz, you might want to wake up before someone decides on a much ruder way to awaken you,'**_ Jack chuckled.

Oz opened his eyes to find his Uncle Oscar leaning over him.

"Uncle…Oscar," he said, dazed. "What happened?"

"What do you mean 'what happened'?" Oscar pouted. "You slept in on the most important day of your life!"

"What are you talking about, Uncle Oscar?" Oz asked, not understanding what was going on.

"Your Coming-of-Age ceremony is today, idiot!" Oscar smacked his nephew upside the head.

"My what?" Oz's eyes widened.

"Your Coming-of-Age ceremony," Oscar repeated slowly. "The one you've been preparing for…are you all right, lad?"

"I-I'm fine, Uncle, don't worry," Oz laughed nervously, "I was just a little dazed. I'm okay."

"All right, now go on and get dressed," Oscar said as he walked towards the door of the room, "if you're lucky, you, Gil and Ada just might have some time to explore this place a bit."

Oz only nodded at his uncle as the older man closed the door behind him.

Oz quickly shot out of his bed and ran over to the mirror, and stifled a surprised shout.

His no longer looked like the twenty-five-year-old man he'd been. Instead, he was somehow reverted back to his fifteen-year-old body.

"What's going on?" Oz muttered, as he got dressed for the day. "I remember flinging my sword at that thing and then nothing…"

'_**Somehow that last explosion caused by our sword striking that **_**thing**_** did something to fling you back in time,'**_ Jack told the young boy.

'_**But then how are you here with me?'**_ Oz asked.

'_**I think it was because our souls merged completely,'**_ Jack told his incarnation. _**'Essentially in the process of reincarnation, the soul of the previous incarnation is passed on into a new body that will, inevitably, have a new life and new experiences. But our case is slightly different because while our souls are technically the same, I was missing something when I died.'**_

'_**Missing something?' **_ the gold-haired teen questioned.

'_**A fragment of my soul was somehow left within Alice's memories,'**_ Jack explained. _**'Because my soul was incomplete, there was no way it could follow through with the entire process of reincarnation. And so somehow when my soul was put into what would become you, you managed to fill the gap in my soul with something purely from you. So when I merged with you, I was only adding a part of myself to what was once my soul inside you.'**_

'_**Ugh'**_ Oz groaned, _**'my head hurts from all this confusing talk about reincarnation and all that.'**_

A knock sounded, breaking Oz out of his conversation with Jack.

"Young Master, may I come in?" Came the voice of a fourteen-year-old Gilbert.

Oz gave his consent and watched with a sense of nostalgia as the younger version of his friend stepping into the room, closing the door behind him.

But then, the gold-haired boy felt a sort of pulse running through his body.

"Young Master?" Gilbert asked worriedly.

Oz narrowed his eyes suspiciously and decided to conduct a small test.

"I'm fine, Gil," Oz waved of the concern, "by the way, how is Raven doing after that battle?"

"I don't kno—Oz?" Gilbert's eyes widened. "Is that you?"

"And I think I'm talking to the twenty-four-year-old Gilbert Nightray inside of the fourteen-year-old Gilbert's body, correct?"

Gilbert nodded, a serious expression on his face. "But how can this be? Break told us that turning back time is a power only the Will of the Abyss holds."

"I've wondered about that, too," Oz nodded, "but there's not much we can do except play along for now. Besides, this time, I intend to go through my Ceremony without any interruptions!" He cast a side-long glance at his friend. "Do I need to force you into taking the suit this time or no?"

Gilbert chuckled. "No Master, I'll wear it with no complaints."

Oz gave a nod. "Good. Let's go, we need to pick that package up from Uncle Oscar."

* * *

-That Night-

Oz fastened the final button on his coat and patted the pocket that held the pocketwatch he'd retrieved with Gilbert earlier that day.

"Oz, are you ready?" Oscar's voice sounded through the door. "There's a few people that would like to meet you."

Curious, Oz opened the door and saw his uncle and Gilbert dressed in their attire for the event. He let his uncle lead them to the same room he'd met Sharon on this very day so long ago.

"Oz, this is Sharon and Alice Rainsworth of the Rainsworth Dukedom," Oscar introduced.

Sharon looked the same as she had when they first met. Alice, on the other hand, looked the same, but wore a periwinkle and white dress similar in design to her sister's. A black cat was nestled within the brunette's arms.

Like before, Oz greeted Sharon politely and invited her to sit. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Oscar left the small group to talk amongst themselves.

"Would you happen to be our Oz-sama and Raven?" Break asked quietly.

Oz blinked once before nodding.

Alice squealed as she launched herself at Oz, hugging him with all the strength her little arms would allow.

"You all remember, too?" Gilbert asked.

Alice, the black cat that was Cheshire, Sharon and Break all nodded in reply.

"But how?" Oz asked. "How could we have been taken back in time? It makes no sense!"

"Sometimes powers beyond our control have strange intentions that even we cannot predict," Sharon said quietly, sipping her tea. "But why they chose this day to bring us back to and with our memories intact, is a question even I can't answer."

Oz thought hard for a moment. Everything that had happened in the previous timeline happened because Glen was coming back and the catalyst that set off the events to come was his activating of the silent clock tower.

"I think," Oz said quietly, getting everyone's attention, "we were sent back here because it was this day that set everything to come, in motion."

"So what do we do?" Alice asked.

"We need to stop that minute hand from moving," Oz told them. "If that hand doesn't move, then the Baskervilles will have no reason to come out of hiding. We can take them out easily and this time, we can put a stop to the Baskervilles once and for all."

"But what about Glen?" Gilbert asked. "Isn't he alive, too?"

"No," Oz shook his head. "I don't know why and I don't know how, but somehow, his defeat in the future caused some sort of reaction that caused his passing here in the past."

"How would you know?" Break asked, red eyes narrowing. "You seem to know quite a bit about it."

Oz sighed as he went on to explain. "When Jack first defeated Glen, a sort of…connection was born between them. Don't ask me how, because not even he knew how that could be. Anyway, when Jack and I merged before I escaped the Abyss, I gained that connection."

"And what do you feel now?" Break inquired interestedly.

"He is dead," the gold-haired teen said confidently. "As of now, the Baskervilles are trying to find a Master that is long gone."

"Break," Oz turned to the white-haired man, "can you get the minute hand to stop completely? Or at least prevent it from moving for just tonight?"

"I just might," the white-haired man said mysteriously.

"Alice, are you and Cheshire still Chains or do you not have that power anymore?" the gold-haired teen asked.

Alice shrugged. "We don't know, so why don't you find out?"

Doing just that, Oz called upon the powers of the B-Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. Within seconds, both Chains stood there as they had in the previous timeline, though it seemed that the B-Rabbit was a little more than just squished.

Placing the seal on their powers once more, Oz sighed. "Well at least we know that your powers are there."

"Gilbert, do you still have the connection to Raven?" Oz turned to his friend.

"I thought I wouldn't, but I still do," Gilbert answered dutifully. "Surprisingly."

"Won't the Nightrays find it strange that Raven is gone?" Sharon asked.

"It isn't our problem," Oz grinned. "Now is it?"

"Milady, do you still have Eques?" Break asked.

Sharon shook her head sadly. "Unlike the three of you, I woke up with my memories from that timeline, but no more than that. So in answer to your question, Break: No, I don't have Eques …yet."

That said, for the next couple moments, the groups discussed what they would do to change the timeline and how they were going to bring the Baskervilles out from hiding.

A few minutes later a knock sounded. "Young Master? It's time."

"Well, here we go," Oz smiled with no true humor, finding the same expression mirrored on everyone else's faces.

* * *

-Outside of the Chapel of Legend-

A grave expression was painted on the gold-haired teen's face as he thought about the things he would be doing for the next few years or so.

'_To think, I get a second chance, only to do what I was doing before, only this time it's not as complicated,'_ he chuckled in a low tone.

"Onii-chan!" whispered a soft voice he knew very well.

"Ada?" Oz chuckled. "What are you doing here? You should get inside before you get in trouble, or worse, catch a cold!"

"I just wanted to wish you luck," Ada smiled at her older brother from under her umbrella.

'_Just like last time,'_ Oz smiled fondly at the young girl. "Thank you, Ada. Now go on!"

Ada flashed one last smile at the teen before running off.

Not even a moment later, Oz found that his cue to enter was coming up soon. The teen steeled himself and awaited the moment he was to enter the chapel.

'_And here's to a second chance,'_ Oz thought, stepping through the doors.

* * *

_A bientôt once more, _

_TsukiyoTenshi_


End file.
